


in a thousand

by nitwit_645



Category: Carol (2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2020-11-28 06:15:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20961827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitwit_645/pseuds/nitwit_645
Summary: AU modern take on Carol & Therese. They meet in Professor Gerhard's photography class at university.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! First fic, so please feel free to comment and give me feedback. No promises on how frequent I'll be able to update, but I had this idea pop into my head and figured I'd give it a shot.

_That can’t be my alarm going off already, can it? I barely fell asleep five minutes ago. Yes, it’s definitely my alarm. Damn it… _

The young girl forced herself out of bed, dragging herself, willing herself, to the bathroom to start getting ready. It should be a crime to start the day this early, especially during the last year of your college career. At least, that’s what Therese thought as she stared back at herself in the mirror, puffy bags under her eyes, hair unkempt, and her shaggy bob sticking up at odd ends. _Well, I don’t think I can tame this thing today, looks like a shower is in order. _

As Therese pops in the shower, she starts her playlist of the day, “Purple Hat” by Sofi Tukker begins playing through her speakers throughout her studio, she starts prepping and running through her schedule for the day. The bulk of her day will be spent in her Engineering classes and her lab, with one class she decided to take for fun to break up the heavy technical days of her senior capstone class, photography 101. This class was in the middle of her day, starting at 1p, and she was most excited for this class. Therese owned an old camera that belonged to her foster mom, and her stress relief came in the form of snapping photos. _Might as well take an official class to learn how to use this thing… _

Therese threw on her favorite pair of black skinny jeans, black v-neck shirt, and black converse, she didn’t bother with too much makeup, but made sure her hair looked good, in loose messy curls and long bangs framing her green eyes, her new haircut the best she’s had by far. _I’m going to have to make sure Genevieve keeps this cut going for a while. _She completed her look with her favorite over-ear headphones, much too big for her small frame, but was something she never left the house with. Picking back up on her playlist, she headed out the door to walk towards campus.

As she heads out the door, she stops by her favorite coffee shop and grabs her iced coffee and banana nut loaf, and heads to the center of campus where all of the engineering buildings are located. The morning breezes by, the first day of each class with a look through the syllabus and promises of new professors to take attendance and tough study schedules. She wasn’t worried about any of her classes, she got in to the competitive program on a full ride scholarship, and was top of her class. She was fresh from an internship at one of the country’s top engineering firms, and was pretty sure she’d have a full time offer when graduation rolled around in spring.

She didn’t have time for lunch before her Photography class, so she stopped through the student center to grab a protein bar and a drink on her way to the opposite side of campus. _Shit, this line is so long, I’m gonna be late. I hate being late! _As she slowly works her way up to the cash register, she feels two arms wrap around her, “T! I THOUGHT THAT WAS YOU! I followed you all the way from the library!”

“Danny!” She finally gets to squeak out through two large arms, still tightly wrapped around her neck. “Let me go I need to pay for my food!”

“T, a protein bar is no lunch my dude. And, THAT’S how you greet me after not seeing my gorgeous face for two months? Rude!”

“Danny, you know I’m beyond happy to see you, I’m just late for my first photography class!”

“Oh my god that’s today?? Let’s go! I’ll walk with you? Is it in the art building? Who’s your professor? I hope you have Gerhard. Here, let me get these for you.” Danny grabs Therese’s food from her hands, and pays before she can even protest. Laughing, Therese responds, “Yea, it is Gerhard in the art building, I forget you’re an art history major sometimes.” Danny ushers Therese out the doors into a crowd of students, all rushing to their next class. 

“Ok wait, we don’t nearly have enough time for us to properly catch up. I need to hear about the internship, I need to hear about your class schedule, your professors so far, planning our first rager, and when we’re going to have lunch every day.” Danny rambled as they sped towards the opposite side of campus.

“We will definitely make time for all of that, I swear. And I’ll catch you up on the internship this summer, it was a really fun time. I’m mostly excited for this Photography class though, I really need something to break up the days and not be so technically focused. How are your classes so far?” Therese replied, glancing down at her watch. _Shit, I’m gonna be late to my first Photography class! _

“Therese, I’m an art history major, we don’t start our days until after lunch, remember? I’m on my way to my first class in 30 minutes.”

“Ugh, I hate you. I’m gonna be late, Danny! This class started 2 minutes ago!” 

“So what? It’s college… What’s gonna happen to you, detention?” Danny quipped with a smirk. As they walked to the entrance of one of the art buildings, Danny pointed to the door on the right, signaling the room for Therese’s next class. “I’ll text you, have a fun class Therese!”

Therese was actually thankful to run into Danny, she had no idea where her class was, having never ventured to this side of campus before. She had only been taking science and engineering classes before, and all of those were on the other side of campus. Therese was planning a quick and quiet entrance, she was only a few minutes late to class, but to her it felt like twenty. As she slowly pulled on the door, the old wood creaked so loud she was sure her dead ancestors in Eastern Europe were stirred. Every head in the room turned towards Therese, and the professor at the front of the room stopped talking. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Of course that had to happen to me. _There was no way to stop it, so she opened the door completely, stepped in, and the door began its slow return back to close. _What do I do? Close it faster? Let it close and walk to my desk? Ughhhhhhh_

“You can just close it faster, and take your seat at the last open station closest to you. You must be… Teresa?” Her professor asked as Therese turned to close the door, the squeaking much quieter on the quick close than it was a few moments ago. “Oh, um, sorry, I was lost,” was all Therese was able to mumble out of her beet red face. _Great, I didn’t even correct my name. You idiot, now you’ll never be able to correct her without making her feel bad. Now you’re Teresa. Way to go Belivet, way to go. _Therese took her seat where her professor indicated, the last open seat in the last row. The room was small, old, covered in framed photographs all over the wall. _I’ll have to pay attention to those later. Better focus on the lecture first. _

“As I was saying, the syllabus will be emailed to you after class today, and you’ll get a chance to review it on your own time. Today’s class I’d like to see where you’re all at. If you have your own camera, feel free to use it, or you can use any of the cameras available in the cabinet in the back of the room. Either way, you’ll fill out the submission form the same for your first assignment. Find a partner for the day, you’ll help each other through this first assignment. You have 30 minutes to go outside, take as many photos of anything you’d like, and come back to your station. You’ll then have an hour to upload, edit, and submit for my review. This will help me get to know you all a little better as Photographers, and see where our work really needs to begin.” _Wow, this seems really cool. Maybe the person next to me will be my partner? _

As Therese turns to her right to ask her desk mate to be her partner for the day, Therese finds her already turned and smiling at her, “Hi, would you like to be my partner today?” To Therese, it feels like time has completely frozen. The most magnificent woman is sitting next to her, smiling at her. Her blue eyes so transparent they’re almost gray, and yet somehow so bright a shade of blue it rivals that of the sky, Therese can’t believe these eyes exist on a living human. Therese can’t help but take in every feature, her prominent cheekbones, her full, red lips, her sharp jaw-line, strong and yet incredibly feminine. Her blonde hair is tied up in a messy bun, and her black-rimmed square glasses are propped up on her head. She’s leaning on the desk, but Therese can tell she has a thin and toned body, judging by her tight jeans and white button up cleanly tucked in.

_I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. Stop staring at her. Answer her. But I can’t stop staring at her eyes. Her laugh lines. Her lips. Holy shit this woman cannot be real. How is she in this class? _

“Hello? Teresa?” The woman in front of her asks as she waves her hand in front of Therese’s face.

“HI! Sorry! Yes, I’d love to be your partner.” Therese responds, a slight blush creeping up her face. _Oh fuck, are you blushing? What the fuck Belivet? _

“Great, my name is Carol,” the ethereal woman replies as she sticks her hand out for an introductory hand shake. As the two women’s hands meet, Carol’s smile widens and Therese’s heart flips as her stomach drops. Holding onto Carol’s hand, Therese admits, “Actually, my name is Therese, like ‘ter-ezz.’”

“Therese. Not Teresa? That’s lovely,” Carol’s voice is like honey, oozing a sweetness Therese didn’t know she was craving, it’s the most sensual voice she’s ever heard in her lifetime. Looking down, Therese notices neither one of them has let go of their handshake. Carol’s skin is so soft, their hands fitting perfectly together. Therese can feel Carol looking at her intently. _I wonder what she’s thinking. _

Therese finally breaks away, “It’s nice to meet you Carol. Shall we get started? I brought my own camera, it’s super old and not digital, so I’m gonna check out one from the cabinet, do you need one?”

“No, I have one, thank you though. I’ll come with you to the cabinet though, since it’s on our way out.”

Therese quickly grabs a camera, making sure it has enough battery and a memory card for her day. She turns around to see Carol mouthing something to Professor Gerhard in the front, both of them trying to conceal laughter. _Hmm, I wonder if they know each other or something. _

“Got it. So, where do you wanna go take pictures? I don’t really know this side of campus,” Therese asks Carol.

“I think I know the place. Have you heard of the secret garden?” Carol asks, a coy smile forming on her face as she pushes the door open to leave the classroom. The loud squeak is back, but Therese can’t even hear it this time, all she can hear is Carol.


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for the kind words on chapter one! here's two... i know it's a lot of dialogue and kind of slow, but i really wanted to take my time and run through how an actual conversation would play out between these two characters. in the film they speak through small touches and lasting glances, but in a modern setting i think they'd feel more comfortable using their words and casual flirting.

“There’s a secret garden? For real?” Therese asks, catching up to Carol.

“Yup! Just through a few corridors in the building where all the art professor’s offices are. Hardly any students know about it. I think the lighting will be perfect for some first shots. We can always go somewhere else, too, if you’d like?”

“No, this seems perfect. Thanks for the suggestion, Carol.” Therese can’t seem to stop herself from ogling and staring at the woman next to her. _I wonder what her major is. I wonder how old she is. I wonder if she’s single. Wow, Belivet, you don’t even know if she’s into women and you’re already jumping to her relationship status? This woman is a goddess, there’s no way she’s single. _Her brain can’t seem to focus on one strand of information at a time, she’s never felt this way around someone before.

“So, Therese, what’s your major?” Carol asks, trying to cover a smirk with her question. _Shit, she definitely caught me staring. _

“Bioengineering. You?”

“Wow, Bioengineering in Photography? What brings you to this side of campus?”

Chuckling, Therese responds, “I needed to break up my semester. I’ve never taken a class for fun before, and since it’s my last year here and it’s covered by my scholarship, figured why not?”

“That’s refreshing, I like that. Here, it’s just through the next few corridors.”

They walk through a second art building, into a large room that looks like it could be a greenhouse, the center atrium is open, a large glass ceiling providing plenty of sunlight, and plants cover almost every surface of the great room. Offices line the four walls, and a long hallway leads down to the rest of the building, passed the atrium. “Gerhard’s office is in this building, behind those orchids over there, in case you ever need to attend her office hours,” Carol points to a door labeled “Gerhard” which not only has the words “safe ally” on the door, but also has the trans flag, the rainbow flag, and the bisexual flag. _Well it’s good to know my professor is an out and proud ally, but why should I be surprised, we’re in the arts wing… _

They continue walking through the long hallway, comfortably quiet like the building around them. Carol leads Therese through a door labeled “Faculty Only,” entering a small break room with another door directly across from them.

“Um, should we be in here?” Therese whispers.

Carol laughs, a loud, honest laugh, “No one ever comes in here to use this shitty break-room. Besides, I look old enough to be your Professor.” Carol grabs Therese’s arm and pulls her through the door to the outside. Therese can’t ignore the spark she feels in her entire body, from Carol’s touch. _So I wasn’t imaging that feeling the first time we touched… _

Therese’s thoughts are cut off by the sight of the garden in front of her. She can’t believe this oasis has been tucked away on campus her entire college career. The floral scents attack her senses, and she can’t help but close her eyes and inhale deeply. As she opens her eyes, she notices Carol is staring at her again, with a soft smile on her face. Therese begins blushing and starts to apologize.

“Don’t be sorry, I’m glad you like it. Walk around, take some photos. My favorite flower is back here in this corner, I’m going to see what I can get with this thing, I haven’t used it yet.” Carol walks away and turns on her camera, flicking through the different modes. Therese doesn’t even know where to start, there’s so much beauty in such a small space. Therese turns on the borrowed camera, and takes a look at the lighting in the space through the eye piece, before she makes any adjustments to the settings on the digital camera. She snaps a few photos of a nearby lily, and makes her adjustments. As she slowly moves through the garden, she finds the perfect bench in the perfect spot. She takes a seat, and starts taking some photos. A few insects crawling through the dirt, a few bees, and she even gets lucky with a butterfly landing on a nearby daisy, completely still to capture its wings. After a few minutes, she hears Carol call her name, “Therese? Sorry to bother you, but I think I need help.”

Therese begins her walk over to Carol’s corner of the garden, and sees her sitting on a hidden bench, staring at her camera with a frustrated scowl on her face. _Jesus, even her frustrated face is hot. _Therese can’t resist and quickly picks up the camera to take a shot of Carol. CLICK.

Carol’s head snaps up quickly, “Did you just take a picture of me?”

“Sorry, I should have asked. You just looked so cute,” Therese replies, her blush creeping back onto her cheeks. _Did you just say that out loud? _

“It’s ok, I don’t mind.”

Time seems to suspend between the two women, both staring at each other longer than they would with any other stranger or new classmate. Therese becomes aware of her stare, especially when she starts thinking about what Carol’s lips taste like, and if he hair feels as soft as it looks. 

“What can I help you with, Carol?” Therese forces herself out of her trance, taking a few steps closer to where Carol is seated on the bench.

“Don’t make fun of me, but I bought this camera for this class, and I was planning on trying it out before the semester started, but I totally didn’t and I have no idea how to use this thing. I think it’s on but it’s not doing anything!”

“Well, for one, let’s take the lens cover off. That might help.” Therese snaps off the cover, Carol hanging her head in shame.

“Oh. My. God. I’m one of those old people who don’t know how to use basic technology. I’m so sorry Therese, I’m the worst partner ever!”

“Carol, you’re fine, these things aren’t intuitive. I barely know what I’m doing, I usually use a really old camera and develop my own film. This digital shit is confusing as fuck.”

Therese starts to explain a few other settings to Carol, allowing her to flicker through on her own, but guiding her on which ones to use for landscaping with good, natural sunlight. She directs Carol to a few nearby flowers and she takes a few shots. “Thanks for your help, Therese, I really appreciate it.” Therese doesn’t need to respond in words, and instead just smiles, flashing her dimples at Carol in an acknowledgement of “you’re welcome,” or, “anytime, Carol.”

Pleased with her photos, Carol leans down to smell a full bloom rose bush. Therese can’t seem to control herself again, and takes another photo of the older woman. As Carol hears the shutter click again, she glances up, looking directly at Therese. In that moment, Therese snaps the image of Carol intently staring back at her, the fire of the sun reflecting directly back at her through those piercing blue eyes. The image will be burned in Therese’s memory forever. _I’ll remember her face for the rest of my life, better than any camera ever could. _

“You know, I don’t think Gerhard said to take photos of each other, Therese.”

“Hey, she didn’t say we couldn’t, either.”

“Fine, then I owe you three photos of you.”

“Carol, I’m not a model.”

“Neither am I, Therese.”

“Have you seen yourself? I’m pretty sure that’s a lie.”

Carol opens her mouth and then closes it, preferring not to answer. Before she can get another word out, Therese heads back towards the faculty break-room and calls for Carol to follow. “Come on, let’s go edit these masterpieces and show Gerhard how naturally talented we are,” Therese throws over her shoulder and she pushes the door open and walks through the staff room. Therese beats Carol back into the atrium, waiting for her to catch up.

“So you never answered my question, Carol. What’s your major?”

“Oh, right. I’m attending the law school right now. Final year, and I can’t wait for it to be over. I swear they make law school three years because it feels like fifty, any longer and we’d all be skeletons in the law library.”

“Wow, that’s really cool. I’ll be sure to call you when I get arrested.” It’s with this laugh Therese promises herself to do all she can to make Carol laugh in each class this semester.

They head back to the photography classroom, and find most students are also returning to their stations, eager to upload their photos and begin editing. Therese and Carol sit down in silence, and plug in their cameras. Therese puts her headphones back on, unable to work in silence, especially when it comes to editing photos. As her photos begin to load, she steals glances at Carol to see if she needs any help uploading them. Carol must have caught her side glances, and swats her arm. Therese feigns pain, moving one side of her headphones off her head while she grips her arm, “Ouch! What was that for?”

“I can see you watching me Therese, I know I didn’t remove the cover off the lens, but I know how to upload images to a computer. How old do you think I am?”

Uncertain how to answer the question, Therese decides to push her luck. “Maybe I was just looking for an excuse to talk to you again, you’re clearly not over the age of... twenty-five?”

_Did I make her blush? _

“Ha! Twenty-five, now I know you’re lying.”

Looking back at her own monitor, Therese dares to ask, “So, how old are you then?”

“Guess.”

“Come on that’s not fair, I already guessed.”

“That wasn’t a true guess and you know it.”

“Fine, guess mine first.”

“Ok… Twenty. I don’t think you’re even able to legally buy a drink Therese Belivet.”

“Um, excuse me Carol whatever-your-last-name-is-because-I-don’t-know-because-you-still-haven’t-told-me. I can legally buy a drink. I have been able to for almost two months now thank you very much.”

“My last name is Ross. And see, I was right. Your turn.”

“Carol Ross. Please tell me your middle name is Susan.”

“Susan? Why would my middle name be Susan?”

“Friends. If your middle name was Susan, you’d be Carol Susan Ross, all three characters in the lesbian affair that was Ross’ first marriage in Friends.”

Carol laughs so loud Professor Gerhard notices, coughs loud and throws a glaring stare in their direction. Carol covers her mouth and tries to conceal her laughter. “That is so funny I think I might legally change my middle name to Susan.”

“Thirty.” Therese settles on her guess.

“Close, thirty-two.”

They hear another cough from Professor Gerhard, and take her final glare as a signal to get back to work. Therese turns her music up, but keeps one ear free in case Carol decides to talk to her again. Pleased with her photos, she decides they don’t need much editing. Her favorite by far is the photo of Carol smelling the most perfect rose, staring directly into the lens. The contrast of the red rose against her blue eyes is almost too much for Therese to look at. _This woman is so stunning, I must still be dreaming. _

Debating on whether or not she should include these in her submission, she decides to ask Carol for her permission. She waits until there’s 10 minutes left in class, and all she has to do is hit submit on her assignment. Carol looks like she wrapped up her selection as well, and turns to Therese. “How did your pictures come out? Can I see them?”

“Of course! I was actually gonna ask if you wouldn’t mind looking at them and tell me if I can submit the one of you?” Therese pulls up her photos and let’s Carol scroll through. Therese picked her top 10 photos, and saved the one of Carol for last. Watching Carol’s face, her eyes light up at each photo, but her face seems unreadable on the last one of her.

“Therese, these are beautiful, you have to submit all of them. Did you even have to edit these? How did you get that shot of the butterfly so perfectly still on that flower?”

“I’d be happy to show you the technique I used, it’s actually pretty simple once you get the hang of it.”

“That’d be great, thanks.”

“So I can include the photo of you? All three were really good by the way, I can send them to you if you’d like? This one is definitely profile pic status.”

Chuckling, Carol admits, “You know, that’s not a bad idea, let me give you my email.” Therese opens a browser, logging into her email to let Carol fill in her address in the “to” line. She notices she doesn’t just give Therese her email address, but includes her Instagram handle in the body of her email, “So you can make sure I give you photo cred,” Carol finishes with a wink. Therese feels like she might fall out of her seat, and is yet again saved by Professor Gerhard.

“Alright class, I’ve sent you all the syllabus for the semester, review it before our next class on Wednesday. You have five minutes left to submit your first submission. You’ll be able to see my critique of your photos in our student portal, feel free to attend my office hours if you need anything, and get ready for the work to begin on Wednesday!”

The class starts packing up, and Therese submits her assignment and logs off. It’s at this moment her stomach decides to make the absolute loudest noise, reminding her she never ate her protein bar like she planned.

“Wow, hungry?” Carol chides.

“Starved, I don’t’ have a lunch break on Monday’s and Wednesday’s til after this class.”

“You wanna grab lunch?” Therese senses a slight nervous tone in Carol’s voice as she asks her to lunch, and before she can answer, Carol continues, “I mean, if you want to. I haven’t eaten yet either and I’m pretty hungry and was going to grab something real quick anyway.”

“Lunch sounds amazing, Carol, thank you for the invitation. I’m assuming you know the perfect lunch spot too?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”


	3. three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> time for lunch!

They fall into a slow walk side by side, Carol leading the way towards the edge of campus. Therese has no idea where they’re going, but doesn’t care and doesn’t bother to ask. She keeps stealing side glances at Carol, noticing the way her hair blows in the wind, the way the light catches her blonde hair, making it even more golden and illuminating Carol’s eyes a brighter shade of blue. Carol is a vision to Therese. A stunning masterpiece she never could have dreamed of herself, but yet somehow if you would have asked her to describe the most beautiful woman she could conjure, she’d certainly end up describing Carol. Carol catches her staring again, and Therese is thankful she doesn’t call her out or embarrass her. Instead, with a smile, Carol asks her about her music.

“I noticed your massive headphones during class, what were you listening to?”

“Oh, yea, I always have these things on. I was listening to techno, helps me focus when I’m working.”

“Well, now I feel old again, I don’t think I’ve listened to techno in ages.”

Laughing, Therese takes her headphones off from around her neck and hands them to Carol. “Here, put these on grandma.” Carol fakes an angry look at Therese, but softens immediately when she sees Therese brightly smiling and winking at her, clearly calling her “grandma” in jest. Carol puts the headphones on, and Therese pulls out her phone to play her music. She decides to go with something gentle, playing Rufus Du Sol, “No Place.” Carol doesn’t react at all, as they walk up to a cross walk, stopping and waiting for the light to signal. After a minute, she moves one earpiece to the side and says, “Wow, I really like this!”

“You do?” Therese smiles, happy she hasn’t scared away Carol with her music taste.

“Yes, this is really great, I’m going to listen to this on my drive home today.” They cross the street and Therese sees a small café near an entrance to a neighborhood. _I wonder if this is where we’re going. _

“Have you been here before? This is my favorite lunch spot, they have options for everyone.” Carol asks, holding the door open for Therese. “I haven’t, but it looks really cute,” Therese responds.

“Carol! Welcome back, haven’t seen you since breakfast! Your table is open.” The server calls over to the door as she sets down plates at her nearby table.

“So this really is your favorite place, huh?”

Carol turns a little red, embarrassed at being called out for her frequency of visiting one restaurant, “Yes, but it’s really good! Everything is locally sourced and the coffee is unmatched.”

They take a seat in a corner booth by the window, a great view of the road and campus across the way, but tucked away in the back to allow for a private conversation or a quiet study space. The server brings Therese a menu, Carol clearly doesn’t need one. “Your usual salad, Carol?” The young server asks, and Carol just nods. “I’ll give you some time to look over the menu Miss,” she smiles at Therese.

“Oh no that’s ok, I’ll just have what she’s having, please. And with your house lemonade?” Therese answers. The whole menu looks great, but she wants to experience the same meal as Carol.

“I’ll also have the lemonade Charlie, thank you.” Carol looks up at the young server, taking the menu from Therese and passing it back to Charlie. “Good choice, Therese, the salad they make for me isn’t on the menu,” Carol winks. _If she continues to wink at me I think I may die. _

Therese decides to ask Carol one of the questions that’s been on her mind all morning. “Do you and Professor Gerhard know each other?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well you knew where her office was, the staff room, and I saw you making faces at each other during class.”

Carol chuckles, “Abby is my best friend. We grew up together actually, and she convinced me into signing up for her class under the pretense of saving money on professional photos of my daughter.”

Therese doesn’t want to show her disappoint of this new information. She knew this perfect woman was straight, probably married to the perfect man with the perfect daughter and picturesque family. Not wanting to show her crushed spirit, Therese keeps up with the conversation. “That’s really sweet, how old is your daughter?”

Carol’s eyes light up in a completely different way, Therese can see her whole demeanor change at the chance to get to talk about her daughter. “Rindy turned four this summer, she just started pre-k two weeks ago. She says she’s really enjoying it and keeps telling me all about her homework. It’s adorable.” Carol glances out the window, and a sadness comes over her eyes and face for a split second. Therese would barely notice it if she hadn’t been caught in her usual inability to take her eyes off of Carol’s face. Just then, Charlie brings their drinks and food out on a tray, and Carol’s sadness is lifted with a bright smile. “Bon appetite, Therese,” as they start eating their food in a comfortable silence. Therese wants to know more about Carol, and decides to ask about her husband. “Is your husband a lawyer too, Carol? I feel like he’s a lawyer too, and Rindy will also grow up to be a lawyer one day.”

Laughing, Carol responds, “My ex? A lawyer? No, even though I bet he thinks he is. He’s a wall street guy.” _Divorced! She’s divorced! _

“What about you? What’s your boyfriend like?”

“You think I have a boyfriend?”

“Surely you do, a smart young woman with those green eyes, I bet you have your choice of college men surrounding you.”

“That’s the funniest thing you’ve said all day. There’s an annoying guy I’ve had a bunch of classes with who I think keeps trying to ask me out, but doesn’t seem to comprehend I’m not interested-“

“Haven’t found your ideal boy toy?” Carol challenges, a sparkle in her eye as she cuts off Therese.

“I haven’t found the ideal woman who likes me as much as I like her.” Therese holds eye contact with Carol for as long as her heart allows, before she looks back down and puts a fork full of salad in her mouth. She misses Carol’s smile widen before she too, takes a bite of her salad.

“I’m sorry for assuming, Therese, I never like when people make assumptions about my sexuality just because I’m divorced with a child.”

_What does that mean? Is she saying what I think she’s saying? Should I ask? Can I just ask? I’m just gonna ask. _

“People assume your heterosexuality?” Therese grins at Carol, waiting for her to reply.

“People assume I’m straight, Therese, when I’m actually a big flaming homo who was trapped in a loveless marriage. Although I’m beyond thankful for my daughter.”

_YES! YES YES YES YES YES! There is a God and she has answered my prayers! _

“Carol Susan Ross, you’re a lesbian? I’m shocked!” Therese clutches her chest and widens her eyes in mock horror, even though on the inside she is completely surprised and shocked that this woman sitting across from her is also into women. She can’t help but replay every moment of their previous interactions in her head all day, wondering if Carol was flirting with Therese in return.

They spend the next ten minutes eating their food, making casual conversation about the upcoming semester and what kind of photos they hope to take in their shared class. Therese feels a comfort around Carol that she can’t explain, but she promises herself to explore these feelings and spend more time with Carol.

Therese’s phone begins buzzing in her bag, and she reaches in to see her calendar alarm going off, reminding her that her next and last class of the day starts in 15 minutes. “Shit, I’m so sorry Carol, I have class in fifteen minutes. I need to run.” Therese grabs her wallet to pull out her card, when she feels a hand on her arm. “Put your wallet away, this lunch is on me. You can get the next one, if you’d like?”

Therese notices Carol leaves her hand on her arm, waiting for Therese to answer. “I’d love to, Carol. Thank you. I’ll see you Wednesday. Thanks again for the amazing lunch, I’m so happy we have class together.” She forces herself to leave, forcing Carol’s hand to leave her arm, her skin tingling in the spot where Carol’s hand had been. Carol waves a goodbye to Therese as she walks out the door. Therese throws her headphones back on, starting “No Place” over again, the song so much sweeter in her ears this time around.

Halfway through her physical chemistry lecture, Therese zones out and decides to text Danny instead.

T: Hey! Wanna come over tonight?

D: T!!! I thought you’d never ask. I’ll be there at 6 with a pizza.

T: My hero

Therese gets home shortly after five, and immediately changes into comfortable sweats and a loose t-shirt, and spends some time cuddling with her cat before Danny comes over. Right on time, Danny rings her doorbell at six, two pizzas in hand and a case of beer and bottle of wine. “Wine for you, beer for me!” Danny holds up, grinning at Therese. “Ok so start telling me everything right now T! You’ve held on to this gossip for far too long,” his feet barely inside the front door before he starts gossiping. 

“Danny, my life is boring, I have no gossip!”

“That’s where you’re wrong Therese, you just don’t know that you have gossip. For instance, I know you found some hunky engineers for me at your internship this summer. And two, I know there were some weirdos who annoyed you at work. Third, I know you saw annoying Richard today too. And last but not least I saw you walking to my favorite café today with a drop dead gorgeous blonde.”

“Wait. You saw me with Carol? You creeper!”

“I was in my sculpting class and would notice your cute little bob anywhere. Just kidding, I noticed the blonde first, she’s so hot how do you know her?”

“She is, isn’t she? I met her in my photography class, we sat next to each other today and I helped her with her camera. Then she invited me to lunch.”

“That’s it? She invited you to lunch on the first day of class just for that? Bullshit. Tell me the whole story.” Therese caves and tells Danny the every detail while they do their best to finish off two pizzas with their wine and beer. Therese is feeling pretty buzzed when she pulls out her phone to show Danny the pictures of Carol she took today. Opening her sent email to Carol with the photo attachments, Danny grabs the phone out of her hands.

“Holy shit T! These are fucking amazing, you need to put these in your portfolio.”

“Danny, my ‘portfolio’ is a joke. I’m an engineer with a hobby.”

“This isn’t just a hobby T, and you know it. These are incredible.” As he continues to stare at the photo of Carol, he zooms in at her eyes and begins whispering unintelligible things at Therese. “Danny, I have no idea what you just mumbled at me.”

“I said you better marry her, Therese. This woman is a lesbian? Fucking Christ she’s gotta be the hottest lesbian I’ve ever seen!”

“If that wasn’t a true statement, I’d be pretty offended right now Danny.”

“T, you know you’re my first gorgeous lesbian.” He pinches her check and Therese punches his arm.

“Then I guess that makes you my first handsome gay.”

They start laughing uncontrollably before Danny goes back to Therese’s phone, and he scrolls back to the email, noticing Carol’s Instagram handle. He opens Instagram and immediately finds her profile, but is disappointed it’s private. Without asking Therese for permission, he sends a follow request. “Danny! What are you doing? That’s too soon she’s gonna think I’m weird!”

“No she isn’t, T, she’s already accepted and sent you a request in return,” Danny has the biggest shit eating grin in his life.

Therese grabs her phone back, astonished at how quickly that just happened. Together, they open Carol’s profile and see that she’s already posted the picture Therese took of her today, the caption reading “There’s no place I’d rather be,” a lyric from the song Therese showed her earlier that day. Beaming, Therese looks at Danny, and they silently continue to go through Carol’s Instagram, noticing there aren’t many photos of her, but plenty of the surrounding city, landscapes, and a young girl who is obviously Carol’s daughter, Rindy. “They have the same eyes,” Therese says out loud, Danny humming an agreement back.

“Ok lovesick puppy, enough Carol, let’s watch some drag race and fall asleep cuddling like old times.” Danny pulls Therese down on the couch with him and together they turn on the tv. Therese can’t focus on the show, instead only wondering if Carol is thinking about her too, and if she spent time browsing through Therese’s posted photos.

_I can’t wait for Wednesday. _The last coherent thought on her mind, before succumbing to the sleep pulling her down, is the image of Carol’s blue eyes.


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> late night study session

Tuesday’s classes are heavy with labs and engineering lectures, she soon learns she’s going to dread her Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. She’s thankful she left her Friday’s open for studying and open labs, she knows she’ll need it. Her refuge will be on Monday’s and Wednesday’s when she gets to see Carol in Photography. Therese has decided even if nothing happens between them, she still wants to be friends with Carol, if nothing else.

On Wednesday Therese decides to wake up earlier than usual to check her emails and get a jump start on the day before classes. The first thing she notices is a notification in her student portal, comments from Professor Gerhard on her photo submission. The comments seem minimal, mostly notes on how she can improve her editing on softening edges when she focuses on an object in the foreground. On the image of Carol, Professor Gerhard comments, “Beautiful capture here, Therese, really well done.” The positive comments pull her through her morning classes, carrying her through to photography. She’s happy to see Carol sitting in the same seat, and the one Therese sat in is open next to her.

“Hi, Carol,” Therese says with a smile as she take a seat, dropping her bag next to her chair on the floor.

“Hi, Therese. How are you?” Carol’s smile is the most beautiful thing Therese have ever seen. Her wide grin and perfect teeth on full display for Therese to stare at.

“I’m great, are you free for lunch after class today? I believe I owe you a lunch.”

“I’m so sorry Therese, I’m not today, Abby and I have lunch on Wednesday’s. But I’d love to on Monday after class, if you’d still like?”

“I would.”

“Alright class, let’s get started!” Professor Gerhard ends their conversation, and their attention turns to the front of class to listen in on today’s assignment. “I’d like to start with reviewing some of the notable photos from your submissions on Monday.” Professor Gerhard turns on the class projector and begins showcasing student submissions. Therese notices there’s a lot of talent in the class, and only makes her more excited. One of Carol’s pops up, and Therese is taken by surprise. It’s a photo of her, Carol must have snapped it when they were together in the art atrium that day. It’s a photo in black and white, and Therese is standing in the middle of the room, half turned towards the camera. The natural sunlight is shining through in cascading rays, Therese’s profile distinct in the light. It’s a stunning photo. Therese turns to Carol, whose face is red and turned away from Therese. Therese reaches over and puts her hand on Carol’s shoulder, whispering, “Carol, it’s beautiful.” Carol turns her head to look at Therese, and they hold each other’s smiles for a few moments before hearing Gerhard speaking again. “It looks like one of our groups decided the human object was more interesting than their surroundings,” flipping to the next photo, Therese’s submission of Carol. “Class, really study this image, look at the focal points, the contrast of colors between the red rose and the subject’s blue eyes. The photographer not only captured the perfect moment at the most even and perfect frame, but the subtle editing here is a work of art. Well done, Therese.” Therese nods her head in acknowledgement at Professor Gerhard, and the two smile at one another. As the professor turns off the projector and moves around the room, Carol nudges Therese and flashes a smile at her, a smile so bright Therese can see it in her eyes.

“Alright class, now that you’ve all reviewed the syllabus for the semester and the comments I sent back to you, let’s prep a few items. First on the agenda, pick your partner, and pick wisely. You’ll be working with this person for the rest of the semester on assignments, study sessions, and studio work for your editing. I’ll give you three minutes.” Immediately and in sync, Carol and Therese look at one another, pointing in between each other in question.

Carol speaks first, “Partners?”

“Absolutely,” Therese tries to keep her excitement to a normal level.

“Well, that’s that.” Carol finishes, and opens the syllabus to see the upcoming assignments and projects they’ll have to work on together. Therese has never been happier in signing up for an elected class in her life.

The professor gathers the attention of the class again, and directs the rest of the day will be spent learning digital camera techniques, settings, and they spend some time on editing. Abby essentially walking the class through all the techniques Therese used to capture her photo of Carol and the butterfly. As class ends, Therese begins gathering her things and putting them back into her book bag. Carol comes closer to her and says, “Thank you for taking that photo of me, Therese, it’s really a work of art, just like Abby said.”

“I didn’t have to do too much Carol, you’re the art.”_ She’s definitely blushing this time! _

“You’re too kind. I hope you have a good week Therese, I’ll see you on Monday.”

“See you Monday, Carol.” With that, the two women part, and Therese leaves the room, Carol hanging back to wait for Abby.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On Thursday night, Therese finds herself at the engineering and science library way later than she intended. It’s passed ten and she can’t seem to focus on her assignment that’s due by noon the next day. The library is crowded, and she’s been there far too many times and recognizes far too many familiar faces. In her true fashion, her large headphones are on, a universal signal of, “Leave me alone.” Deciding she needs a distraction, she opens Instagram and posts to her story, a photo of her assignment, and adds frustrated gif stickers all over with a time stamp and location of the library. Browsing through the stories of people she follows, she watches Danny’s ridiculous story of the art class he TA’s for, it’s the first day of the nude model, and Danny is inconspicuously recording a blushing student trying not to laugh. Giggling, she replies to his story, “you are the worst TA ever, but this is hilarious.” His next story is him loudly singing on his walk home, posted just a few minutes ago. _Danny is my spirit animal. I’m too shy to ever do something like that. _

The next story on her phone, is a similar looking study session to her own, books lying all over a library table, and a time stamp of just ten minutes ago. _Looks like Carol is up late studying too, I wonder where she’s at. _Deciding to reply to Carol’s story, Therese sends her a message, “Late project too? What library are you at? I’ve never seen an empty table at a library here before.” She continues to watch other stories, and then realizes she should probably get back to her assignment. But before she puts her phone away, it vibrates with a notification, Carol has responded.

> crossaird: Studying some cases before lecture tomorrow, struggling to find what I’m looking for… The law library, have you never been?
> 
> terezzed: No, aren’t law students the only ones allowed in?
> 
> crossaird: Well yea, but you can get in with a law student.
> 
> terezzed: You’re the only law student I know ;) That place looks so nice, look at how crazy the eng library is right now.

Therese snaps a photo of the study area and sends it to Carol in their message. She captures rows of tables, full of students, the crowded library in full view, including a caption on her photo.

> terezzed: library or club?
> 
> crossaird: Haha omg! How are you able to study, it looks so noisy!
> 
> terezzed: Probably why I haven’t made much progress tonight on this assignment.
> 
> crossaird: Do you need anything in that library for your assignment?
> 
> terezzed: No, not really, I just know if I go home I won’t do my homework and I’ll start watching tv or find some other reason to neglect this assignment.
> 
> crossaird: So come over here, I’ll let you in and you can enjoy the quiet space of the law library.
> 
> terezzed: Really? You wouldn’t mind?
> 
> crossaird: Not at all, I’d love to have your company. Let me know when you’re at the main entrance and I’ll come meet you.
> 
> terezzed: Ok! Thank you! Packing up now.

_Holy shit this is the best night I could have hoped for. I didn’t think I’d see Carol until Monday and now I get to see her tonight?? _Therese packs her bag in record time and flies out of the library, walking as fast as she can towards the law library. She’s instantly regretting her clothing choice, she’s in Adidas soccer pants, a t-shirt, and sneakers, her hair a bit messy and unkempt. _Ugh of all days to skip a shower and not put on any makeup… _Frustrated with her morning laziness, Therese internally scolds herself on her clothing choice and tries to run her hands through her hair. She’s getting close to the law library, a regal building on campus, a place she never thought she’d be able to see, and here she is about to spend the night studying with Carol.

> terezzed: I’m here
> 
> crossaird: I see you, come to the door.

Therese walks to the door and see’s Carol on the other side of the glass, pushing the door open to greet her. Carol is wearing her black, square thick rimmed glasses, and her hair is in a low, messy bun. She’s wearing skinny jeans and a casual black shirt, tucked into her jeans, and white sneakers. She’s a vision to behold, even in the most casual of outfits and hair. _Danny was right, she is the hottest lesbian in the entire world. _

“Hi, Therese, I’m happy to see you,” Carol says in a quiet voice as she holds the door open for Therese. “You look cute and comfortable,” she adds, looking Therese up and down as they face each other in the lobby.

“Hey, thanks for letting me come crash your study session,” Therese adds with a shy smile. Trying not to stare, but wanting to return the compliment, Therese adds, “And if this is how you look for a late night study session, I can’t imagine what you look like for a night out.”

Not knowing what to say next, the two women stand there facing each other, each smiling with a slight blush, holding eye contact with one another. Therese has never felt brave enough to hold eye contact with someone for more than a few seconds, but with Carol it’s like she can’t look away. She sees so much in her eyes, curiosity, a warm light, and maybe something like desire. _She can’t desire me, look at this woman, and then look at me. Plus I’m barely twenty-one, there’s no way she’d go out with me. _

Carol finally breaks their stare, “Shall we head upstairs now?”

“Oh. Um. Yea, probably.”

Carol leads Therese through the lobby to the elevators. “My favorite study room is on the top floor, it’s usually pretty empty and quiet, and tonight it’s perfectly empty.”

The two women enter the elevator, Therese unsure where to stand, stands at a safe distance from Carol, but close enough to show she’s comfortable in her space. “So, Therese, what’s your Instagram name mean?” Carol asks through a side eye glance to Therese as she presses the 6th floor button.

“It’s a play on a Daft Punk song from the Tron soundtrack they did. My favorite song is called Derezzed, so I thought it fit.”

“Hmm, another song I’ll need to add to my playlist.”

“You should. How’s your studying going, did you find what you were looking for?”

“I did actually, now I just need to read 100 pages of the case and I’ll be set.”

“A hundred pages, tonight?” Therese exclaims, eyes wide and a bit in shock of Carol’s endeavor on a Thursday night.

“Yea, tonight. I need to be prepped for my class tomorrow and I need to talk to my Professor before class at nine tomorrow morning.”

“Holy shit, good luck Carol.”

The elevator doors open and the two walk out together to a large open space, lined with bookshelves with tables set up in the middle. The room is completely empty and Therese can see the table Carol picked in the back corner, her books spread across the table. “Just this way,” Carol guides Therese to the table with her hand on Therese’s lower back. Therese can’t help but take a quick breath in and tries not to arch her back into Carol’s touch. Instead she wills herself to fall in line and keep up with Carol, trying to maintain her breathing and stop the heat flowing up to her face and below her stomach. Carol keeps her hand on Therese the short walk to the table, and directs Therese to put her belongings across from Carol’s seat. “Make yourself comfortable Therese, I’ll move some of my books to the side if you need more space.”

“I’ll be ok, thanks Carol, I just need my laptop and one book out.” The two sit down across from each other and fall into a comfortable silence, Carol jumping into her reading and Therese opening up her assignment to try to figure out how to solve her problems. Therese tries not to glance up at Carol too often, not wanting to distract the older woman, or herself for that matter. It’s so nice to not need to use her headphones to block out noise, and just relax in a quiet study space. A few hours go by and Therese notices it’s almost one in the morning. She knows she needs a study break, and decides to interrupt Carol as well. She clears her throat once, but Carol doesn’t move. She tries two more times and Carol is still engrossed in whatever she’s reading. Therese notices the lines around her eyes, and gets the urge to trace them with her finger. She notices the crease in Carol’s forehead, the concentration in her eyes as they scan the page below her. She’s leaning her head on one hand, and her other holds a pen, taking copious notes in the notebook next to her. _I wish I had my camera on me. _Therese finally decides to interrupt Carol in a different way, and reaches across to tap Carol on her arm. Carol starts and looks up at Therese with big eyes.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Therese realizes her hand is still on Carol, holding her forearm and rubbing small circles on her skin. _When the fuck did I start doing that? Stop doing that to her you weirdo. _Therese pulls her hand away quickly, Carol glancing down at her arm where Therese’s hand had just been.

“I’m gonna take a study break, I need some fresh air and a cigarette, would you like to join me?”

“That sounds amazing,” Carol stretches her arms up over her head before she stands to join Therese.

They make their way to the elevator, Therese has her cigarettes and a bottle of water in her hand. Carol follows, and they head down in silence. Once outside, they walk to a nearby bench, but both decide to stay standing. Therese opens her cigarette box and lights one for herself, and holds it out for Carol to take one. Carol shakes her head and says, “I’m actually trying to quit, but do you mind if I share some of yours?” Therese just nods her head while she takes a long drag, and then holds it out for Carol to take. Carol raises the cigarette to her mouth and takes a drag, deeply inhaling and closing her eyes as the nicotine hits her bloodstream, instantly relaxing her shoulders. She opens her eyes to look at Therese and she slowly blows the smoke out. It’s the sexiest thing Therese has ever seen, and is disappointed in her feeling of wanting someone to continue an unhealthy habit like smoking. The two women pass the cigarette between the two in quiet silence, Therese silently happy she gets to put her mouth on the same spot Carol has. Carol’s eyes narrow again as she watches Therese smoke, and decides to speak, “Why don’t you have a girlfriend, Therese?”

“Wow, comin out swingin huh, Carol?” Therese giggles before deciding how to answer. “I’ve had a few… and they were fun, but I didn’t feel that spark with them. Plus not many women come on to me, and I have like zero game when I go out.”

“So is there someone you like and you’re just too afraid to ask them?”

“No. Well, there hasn’t been one in a long time. Why are you single, Carol?”

“Well, my divorce is still pretty fresh, it’s only been a year. And we divorced because I was cheating on him with another woman. We tried to make it work for a few years before I finally decided I couldn’t fake it anymore, I was losing myself. I haven’t felt ready to date, I think I needed some time to be by myself, take care of myself. Want to share one more cigarette before we go back?”

“Yes.” Therese lights another one, and continues the conversation. “I’m sorry Carol, it sounds like it’s been a tough divorce on you. How’s your daughter handling the divorce?”

“It’s hard to tell, she’s still so young, but she gets mad that we can’t all live together anymore.”

“I bet. My father left my mother shortly after I was born, I actually don’t even know who he is, and I used to ask my mom about it all the time when I was around Rindy’s age. I think I drove her crazy with all my questioning.”

“And you turned out to be just fine, maybe I shouldn’t worry about Rindy so much.” Carol adds with a smile, but Therese can see worry and sadness clouding Carol’s eyes, even in the dark of night.

“She’ll be fine, she has you, Carol.”

“Kind of. My ex made it an ugly custody battle, and had friends in high places. I knew I’d lose, and lose more than just the case, I would have lost Rindy’s trust-fund, so I gave up. I get to see her every other weekend for a few hours on supervised visits.”

“Why? Because you left him?”

“Yes, and because I left him for loving women. He’s a very conservative man. We used to be friends at one point in life.” Carol decides to sit on the bench, unable to stand to talk about losing Rindy. Therese can see how sad the woman is, her shoulders slumping and tears welling in her eyes. “I’m sorry Therese, I didn’t mean to unload this on you, we barely know each other I’m so sorry to just blurt this all out.”

“Carol, stop. Thank you for sharing with me, I’m a safe space ok? And I’ll share with you.” Therese walks over and puts her hand on Carol’s shoulder. Carol moves her hand to cover Therese’s, and holds it there for a while. Therese can sense Carol trying not to cry, so she sits next to her and lifts Carol’s head to force eye contact. “Carol, you can cry if you need to, I’m here.”

“I don’t want to cry anymore Therese, I’m so tired of crying.”

Therese notices a single tear slowly rolling down Carol’s cheek, and moves her hand to cup Carol’s cheek, collecting the tear on her thumb. The women are sitting close to each other, their knees touching, staring at each other intently. Therese notices the sadness clearing from Carol’s eyes, and see’s something else there she can’t quite pinpoint. Overcoming the urge to kiss her, Therese moves her hand from Carol’s cheek, “Ok, no more crying then. Shall we go back inside? Finish up our shit?”

Carol nods and they stand up slowly. Therese grabs Carol’s hand, and leads her back to the library. _Holy shit I’m holding her hand. Therese Belivet you shy weirdo just bravely grabbed this hot woman’s hand and she didn’t let go. _The two hold hands the entire way back to their study table. Without any further words, they fall back into their comfortable silence and begin working again.

Thirty minutes go by and Therese hears Carol clearing her throat, Therese glances up to find Carol staring at her, her pen in her mouth and her glasses pushed up, resting on her head. “Therese, I can’t concentrate.”

“Ok, do you want to go for a walk again?”

“No. I- I- I can’t,” Carol continues to stammer, and can’t seem to get out what she’s trying to say.

“What is it, Carol? Are you ok?”

“I can’t focus with you across from me anymore.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I can totally leave.”

“No, please don’t leave.”

“Ok, I’m confused.”

“Therese, if I hadn’t been crying outside, would you have kissed me?”

Searching for the confidence she had earlier, Therese decides to be bold, “Yes.”

Carol drops her pen, and stands up out of her chair. She takes a step to Therese and reaches for her hand, pulling her up and out of her seat. Without breaking eye contact, Carol moves Therese’s hand to her face, “Kiss me, Therese.”

Therese doesn’t hesitate and moves to close the space between them, grabbing Carol’s face to bring her down to meet her lips. She kisses her softly, once, twice. On the third kiss she presses her tongue to graze Carol’s lips. Carol gasps, a quiet moan escaping her lips. Therese takes it as an invitation to keep going, and pushes her tongue into Carol’s mouth. She slowly kisses her, and moves one hand to Carol’s waist to pull her closer. Therese feels Carol’s arms wrap around her waist, pulling her in closer. Therese wants to keep it slow, to show Carol she respects her in her desire for the woman. Therese is surprised when she hears Carol moan, this time louder, as she tugs on the younger woman’s shirt, pulling her and turning them so Therese is pushed up against the table. Carol guides Therese to sit on the table, and forces her legs open to stand in between them. As Carol deepens the kiss, taking control, Therese can’t control the moans escaping herself, and she pulls Carol even closer to her, hooking her fingers through her jeans belt loops. Carol’s mouth leaves her lips, trailing across her face to her neck, Therese moving a hand to the back of the woman’s head, pushing her even harder into her neck, urging her to continue. She can feel her hips moving forward, searching for friction on the older woman. Carol releases Therese’s skin from her mouth, and whispers in her ear, “Therese, as hot as it would be to have you in the library on my favorite table, I’d rather save this for another time, and not our first time.”

Therese has never heard anything sexier in her life. Carol’s voice has dropped a few octaves and has become raspy, a sound Therese wants to hear again and again. Her heart is racing faster than it ever has before and her breathing is ragged and fast. She can see Carol is breathing just as heavy as she is, and she’s hoping her heart is soaring like hers.

“Ok, then come home with me,” Therese turns her face to capture Carol’s lips in another searing kiss, not waiting for an answer. She moves her hands to Carol’s waist, and untucks her shirt from her jeans. As her hands move under her shirt, touching Carol’s skin on her waist, Therese hears the woman growl and push into her. Suddenly, Carol breaks away, “Are you almost done with your assignment?”

“Almost,” Therese breathes out, her hands still on Carol’s waist, squeezing and kneading the skin beneath her hands. Carol is staring directly into Therese’s eyes, “I’m almost done too, let’s finish and then we can leave together?”

“Ok.” It’s all she can get out, Carol dips her head and kisses Therese one more time, before reluctantly stepping back and helping Therese off the table. _How the fuck am I supposed to concentrate now?_

“Use this as motivation to finish your homework. If we finish, we get to pick up where we left off.” Therese realizes she must have said it out loud, and decides to just nod and sit back down in her chair. She can feel herself as she sits down, and she squirms a bit in her seat, she’s never been so turned on in her life. She glances up to see Carol is already seated across from her, the woman watching her, her eyes black. She hears Carol whisper, “Let’s hurry, Therese.”


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> nsfw: they head to therese's apartment after their late night study session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it may be moving fast, but we know how quickly these two fell for each other. i wanted to give them a chance to move at their own pace had they met in 2019. the relationship will have tons of cute fluff coming up :) let me know what you think!

“Let’s hurry, Therese.”

_I can’t believe this is happening. Should this be happening so soon? That was the most intense kiss I’ve ever had. She’s amazing, incredible, inhuman. Should we slow down though? I don’t want to ruin anything with her._

Therese can’t seem to quiet her mind, but tries to her best to finish her assignment and get it submitted online. She finally finishes around 2:30am, and looks up to see where Carol is at in her work. She again becomes entranced with the woman sitting across from her, and feels her heart start to flutter, her stomach doing flips. She’s content to watch Carol, and does so for as long as she can get away with. After twenty minutes of memorizing every line and curve of Carol’s face, Carol sets her pen down and looks up at Therese.

“You’re staring at me, Therese.”

“I’m sorry, I swear I’m not that creepy.”

“I didn’t say it as a bad thing, I like it.”

“Did you finish your work?”

“Yes, I think so. You ready to get out of here?” Carol yawns, and stretches her arms again before closing her books to put them in her bag.

Therese doesn’t answer, but instead starts to gather her belongings as well. Uncertain what to say, she decides to let her body and eyes speak for her instead. She stands and waits for Carol to finish packing, and when the woman stands she reaches out for her hand. She watches as Carol looks down to the outstretched hand, and a smile forms as she places her hand in the younger woman’s, their fingers intertwining in a perfect fit. As they wait for the elevator to open, Carol starts to ask Therese where she lives. 

“Do you live close?” Carol asks, quietly, and Therese can’t tell if it’s from nerves, lust, or just exhaustion.

“I do. About a ten minute walk from here.”

“My car is just in the garage across the street, I can drive?”

“Ok.”

As they enter the elevator, Carol pushes the button for the lobby, and pulls Therese in close to her. She moves her hands and cups the younger woman’s face, pulling her close. As she begins to trace her lips with her thumb, Therese can’t help but close her eyes. Carol presses her lips to Therese’s, in a slow and light kiss. Just one, one perfect kiss. Therese feels Carol pull a way, just a little bit, and feels her whisper against her lips, “We may be moving too fast, but if you are ok with it, I am too.” All of Therese’s fears of moving too fast and skipping all the steps she would like to do with Carol, are erased with hearing the comment. She nods and whispers in return, “I was afraid it was fast too, I really like you Carol, and I don’t want to ruin anything.” Carol pulls back just a bit more to force eye contact between the pair, “Then let’s not ruin it, we can set our own pace. I feel connected to you, like I’ve known you for so much longer.” Before Therese can say _me too_, the elevator doors open and Carol reaches out for her hand, guiding her out of the library and into the night.

They walk close to each other in silence, holding hands, towards the parking garage. Carol leads her up to the second floor, to a beautiful black Tesla. _Of course this is her car… _As they settle in the car, Carol directs Therese to put her address in the map, it’s a short drive a few blocks down to her apartment. They get lucky and find parking on the same street, just a few steps from her apartment. Carol follows Therese inside a small building, and Therese leads her down to the hall to the last unit on the first floor. As they step inside, Therese turns to grab Carol’s bag, placing it on the bench next to hers. Carol notices Therese taking off her shoes, and does the same, placing them in the empty shelf next to the others. Therese can see Carol taking a look at her apartment, looking at the decorations and art on the wall. Her apartment is small, but standard for a unit in the city, and it’s perfect for Therese. It’s a one bedroom with a nook that she’s turned into a study room, decorated in a midcentury modern aesthetic.

“I love your place, Therese, it’s so quiet and clean.”

“Thanks, would you like anything to drink? I have water, beer, wine, ummm, yea that’s it sorry.”

“You know a beer sounds really good right now.”

As Therese grabs two beers from the fridge, she turns back to see Carol settling in on the couch, crossing her legs under her, and sits to wait for Therese to join her. Therese passes the beer over to her, and takes a seat next to her. They both take a sip at the same time, and quietly stare at each other, waiting for the other to speak first.

“Tell me about yourself, Therese, where did you grow up?”

“Here, in New York. My mom was from here, and she told me my Dad was Czech. What about you?”

“Here too. Well, I guess technically Jersey, my family always chose to live out of the city, and I did too up until last year when I started law school and divorced Harge. Will you stay here after graduation?”

“I’ll stay here if I can find a job that can continue to pay for this place. I got lucky with multiple scholarships and an inheritance from my foster mom.”

“Foster mom?”

“Yea… My mom wasn’t able to take care of me, and I think had mental health issues she never prioritized, so she took me to an orphanage when I was seven. It was run by nuns, and one of them really took to me and ended up becoming my foster mother. She was really great, her name was Alicia. She left me everything when she passed, she had saved all of her trust-fund that her parents had given her to try to dissuade her from becoming a nun. And she left it all to me to attend college and afford housing.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about your biological parents, Alicia sounds like she was a wonderful person.”

“She was.” Therese doesn’t know what else to say, and doesn’t want her somberness to ruin the night. Luckily, Carol senses her trepidation and steps in to save her. “You said you mostly photograph on film, right? Can I see your work?”

“Sure! I’ve been trying to keep my favorite shots in a sort-of portfolio.” Therese reaches down below her coffee table and pulls out a black portfolio, handing it over to Carol to flip through. It begins with mostly shots of the city, parks, and other landscapes from traveling. As it progresses towards the end, there’s a few shots with people in them, mostly out of focus or in the background. On the last page, Carol finds the picture of herself Therese shot on Monday, already printed out and put in her portfolio. “Therese, your work is incredible, you’re very talented, I’m honored to be in this.”

“Oh I don’t know about that, it’s just a hobby. My friend told me I need to photograph more humans, show an interest or something like that.”

Chuckling, Carol asks, “And how’s that going?”

“Not bad actually.”

Therese continues to stare at Carol, getting lost in her eyes. She didn’t notice when she had moved closer to the woman, or when their knees were touching on the couch. All she can feel is the intense urge to reach out and touch Carol, so she does. She starts by pushing the stray strands of Carol’s hair framing her face back behind her ear, and traces her jawline from her ear all the way to her chin. She notices Carol hasn’t blinked, and is watching every move she makes. Therese traces her jawline back to her ear, and moves in closer, placing her other hand on the woman’s knee. “Can I kiss you?” She asks, and waits for Carol to nod her head in answer. She kisses her slowly, like before in the library, no need to rush. This time Carol pushes her tongue in first, and the two move in sync with one another, a comfortable and slow pace, learning each other’s mouths, exploring. Carol moves her hands to cup Therese’s face, one hand sliding down to her neck, holding her close. As they continue to kiss, Carol moves her legs out from under her and encourages Therese to take up the space in between her legs. Therese doesn’t hesitate, and leans in, pushing Carol back against the side of the couch, one leg in between Carols, and the other straddling one of Carol’s thighs. They continue to kiss, holding each other close, maintaining a slow and unrushed pace. Therese feels Carol’s hands slide down her body down to her waist, pulling her closer against her body. _It’s incredible how perfect we fit together. _

Carol pulls back to break their kiss, her hands moving under Therese’s shirt to feel the skin on her lower back, making small circles. “Can I take this off?” Therese nods, and sits up a bit so Carol can remove her shirt. Carol follows and sits up with her, slowly removing the t-shirt with ease, running her hands back down over her arms, to her back, tracing feather light shapes all over her, as she reclaims the younger woman’s mouth with her own. Therese decides to keep them seated, and straddles Carol, earning a surprised gasp from the older woman. Therese tugs on Carol’s shirt, a silent plea to take it off. Carol nods lifts her arms up, allowing Therese to take off her shirt. Carol is wearing a plain white bra, but Therese is still taken aback by how sexy she looks in it. She can’t help but bite her lip as she smirks at the woman, and grabs her hands to place back around her as she starts kissing her again. Their kissing is deeper now, rushed and sometimes sloppy, both heated in their desire for each other. Therese feels Carol’s hands move from her back, down her lower back, and moves to cup her ass, bringing her in tight and close. Therese let’s out a moan, and bites Carol’s lower lip. Therese can feel Carol’s hands still on her ass, squeezing and kneading it, and it’s driving her insane. She doesn’t want it to stop, but she needs to get Carol to her bed. Abruptly standing, and earning a frustrated groan from Carol, Therese pulls her up with her and grumbles, “Bed,” before pulling her through the door off the living room to her bedroom.

She pushes Carol on her bed, laying her down, before she unbuckles her belt and undoes her pants, slowly pulling them down and off, leaving Carol only in her underwear. Carol is looking up at Therese, begging her to join her on the bed. Before she does, Therese pulls down her pants, making sure Carol is watching, and then climbs on top of Carol, once again straddling her like before. She kisses her hard, running her fingers through her hair, removing the messy bun, and taking off her glasses, setting them at the end of the bed. Therese moves her hands down Carol’s body, and cups her breasts over her bra, gently squeezing and waiting for the reaction she wants. She hears it, Carol moaning in her mouth, arching her back, forcing more of herself into Therese’s hands. Therese moves a leg in between Carol’s, and loudly gasps at the wetness she feels, Carol is soaked through her underwear. Therese can’t wait anymore, as she starts kissing her way down Carol’s body, she reaches around and unhooks the woman’s bra, quickly removing it so she can wrap her mouth around an already taut nipple. She sucks it into her mouth, her hands at Carol’s waist, holding her in place, Carol can’t stop arching her back, seeking more of Therese’s tongue on her chest. Therese flicks her tongue over the nipple, slow at first, and increases her pace, showing Carol what she can do with her tongue. Therese is pleased at the sounds coming from the woman, and continues over to the other one, quickly and roughly sucking Carol’s nipple into her mouth. Carol is writhing underneath her, and Therese feels herself throbbing in her panties.

She moves down Carol’s body, her tongue cascading down her flat stomach, and slides her tongue along the hem of Carol’s white bikini panties. She can smell Carol, and is driven mad with lust. She hooks her fingers on each side, and slides them down off Carol’s body, and doesn’t waste any time to do what she wants. She kisses Carol’s mound, just above her clit, and slowly moves her way down, kissing Carol and applying pressure with just her lips. With each moan she hears from Carol, she responds with her own. When she finally gets down to Carol’s opening, she ends with a final kiss, before placing her tongue flat against Carol, tasting her wetness, gliding her flat tongue all the way back up to the top. She feels Carol’s body shiver, and the woman’s hands reach down and entangle in her hair. She decides to make the move again, relishing in the sweet taste of Carol. This time when she comes up to Carol’s clit, she slowly and lightly sucks it in her mouth, moving her tongue in slow circles. She can feel how swollen it is, and when she stops moving her tongue to pull it deeper into her mouth, she can feel it throbbing. After a few more rounds of circles, she can hear Carol’s moans getting louder, and her breathing heavier. She moves one hand down to meet her, and places a finger at Carol’s opening. Therese can’t control the moan that escapes her, feeling how wet Carol has become, how easy it is for her finger to slide all the way in. Carol’s back arches, and her fists clench even tighter in the young woman’s hair, pushing her harder into her pussy. Therese takes Carol’s clit harder into her mouth, sucking on it forcefully, in and out of her mouth at a slow pace, matching her finger slowly fucking her. Carol moans louder, “Faster Therese, please fuck me faster.” _I think I’m gonna come just from hearing her say my name. _

She increases the pace, and pushes in harder, sucking on Carol’s clit harder and faster. Carol opens her legs even wider, giving Therese as much space as she can to let her go deeper. Therese can hear how wet Carol is, and it’s driving her insane. She curls her finger upwards a bit, and finds the rough patch she was looking for, rubbing it and hitting it with every thrust into Carol. With just a few strokes, Carol comes undone under Therese, and screams her name in her orgasm. Therese can feel her clench around her finger, her walls contracting with each spasm of her orgasm. Therese slows down to a light and gentle pace, letting Carol ride her orgasm and slowly come back down. When she’s sure the woman is done, Therese slowly removes her finger, and takes one more lap with her tongue, from opening to clit, drinking her in. _I can’t believe I made this goddess come in my mouth. This has to be a dream. _

She moves up her body to kiss her, wanting a slow and passionate kiss to express her gratitude to Carol for letting her do that to her. Her plans are short lived as Carol pulls her in to kiss her hard, tugging at the back of her bra, quickly throwing it aside, her panties not far behind. Carol keeps Therese straddled on top of her, and moves her hand down to cup her, to feel how wet she is. Both women groan, Therese knows she’s never been this wet in her life, and she would be embarrassed if she hadn’t heard Carol’s reaction to it. Carol wastes no time, and enters Therese with her middle finger, bringing her thumb up to push on the younger woman’s clit. Therese screams out, she’s already so close. “Please, Carol, don’t stop, I’m already so close.” Carol responds by pushing even harder on her clit, making fast circles, pumping even harder in and out of Therese. Therese can hear her wetness, how it sounds on Carol’s finger as she fucks her faster. She leans down to kiss Carol, moaning, pushing herself down onto Carol even harder, grinding and riding on her. It doesn’t take much, she feels her stomach clench and she comes hard, harder than she ever has, moaning her orgasm into Carol’s mouth. She continues to slowly grind on Carol, until her orgasm subsides, allowing Carol to remover her hand. She’s surprised when Carol stops kissing her, replacing Therese’s mouth with the finger she just used to fuck her, sucking it clean. “You taste even better than I imagined,” Carol whispers to Therese. It takes all the control she can muster to not start back up again, instantly craving another orgasm from them both. She feels Carol wrap her arms around her, and feels her kiss her cheek close to her ear. Carol whispers, “I’d like to do this again, but it’s after four, can we sleep?”

“That sounds incredible. Do you want pajamas?”

“No, I want to sleep with you like this.” Carol moves to pull the comforter and sheets down, making herself comfortable in the bed. Therese moves in and wraps herself around Carol, resting her head on her chest, their legs wrapped around each other. Both women, exhausted and content, quickly fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for any typos or weird grammar, i couldn't sleep tonight so decided to write this instead, which means i probably missed some stuff in my proof-reading.


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> therese has friday's off, but carol has class. maybe they'll see each other later?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is so late, life happened and it wasn't good...

Therese can never sleep passed seven in the morning, and isn’t surprised when she wakes up on a night of little sleep, right at seven on the dot. However, this morning is different. She feels warm and rested, a light sense of euphoria running through her veins as she wakes. When she feels the arm wrapped around her, she looks over to see Carol fast asleep, her arm over her waist, and their legs still intertwined. If Carol is a vision awake, she’s an unreal ethereal body asleep. Therese traces every part of her face with her eyes, her slender and perfect nose, her full pink lips, and her godly cheekbones that somehow sit on top of a perfectly sculpted jawline. Therese doesn’t want to move, and takes the next ten minutes relishing in this moment. When her bladder begins to protest, she snakes her way out of bed, careful not to disturb the woman sleeping in her bed. She takes the time to brush her teeth and throw on a robe, and comes out to see Carol is still fast asleep. She heads into the kitchen and starts making breakfast and coffee, with plans to wake Carol soon so she can make her first class on time. To her delight, and plan, Carol naturally rises from the smell of coffee and some light noise in the kitchen. Therese is mid egg crack when she hears Carol step out of her room, and almost drops the egg when she sees Carol walk out stark naked into the kitchen.

“Are you making breakfast Therese Belivet?” Carols morning voice is almost as sexy as her bedroom voice, _almost. _

“I am, I figured you wouldn’t have time to stop at the café before your first class.”

“Thank you,” Carol replies as she continues to walk to Therese, closing the gap and wrapping her arms around Therese’s waist, holding her from behind. Therese can feel the entire of Carol’s body pushed up against her, failing to stifle a whimper, and intuitively pushing back into Carol.

“I had a really great night with you Therese,” Carol continues, placing light kisses along Therese’s neck. “I hope you don’t mind that I stayed over?”

“I would have held you hostage if you tried to leave.”

Both chuckling, Therese gets back to preparing breakfast, and tells Carol she’s welcome to shower and use whatever she needs. “I think I have some clothes that will fit you, I’ll lay them out for you while you’re in the shower.”

Carol doesn’t argue, she just squeezes Therese tight one more time, and heads back into the room to shower. _I wish she didn’t have class today, I would keep her here and join her in the shower. I have to see her again, we have to do this again. _

Carol emerges shortly after her shower, wearing a pair of Therese’s leggings which are just a bit short, showing her ankles, and a loose fitted Daft Punk shirt to match. Therese loves the fit of her clothes on Carol, and decides she never wants them back, or if she does get them back she’ll never wash them again. Carol doesn’t have much makeup on, and keeps her damp hair tied back in a low bun. Catching herself staring at Carol again, she plates breakfast and nods towards the small dining table, “Have a seat, I’ll bring everything over.” Taking a seat, Carol watches Therese move around in the kitchen, bringing two full plates, and returning back to grab their coffee and water. Therese can feel Carol watching, and is surprised to find that she doesn’t feel nervous about it, she actually really likes it.

Taking a bite, Carol hums in pleasure, enjoying the breakfast Therese prepared. “Wow, she’s amazing in bed and she can cook,” Carol quips with a wink.

Therese stares at Carol with wide eyes, a slight blush creeping up over her face, “I enjoy cooking for others.”

“Well then, I’ll be sure to come over more often, I hate cooking.”

“Come anytime, Carol.”

Carol smirks, her eyes sparkling as she looks over Therese’s face, her eyes lingering on her lips as the young woman takes a sip of her coffee, “I think with you, I will.”

_This woman is going to be the death of me. _

Therese doesn’t know how to respond, so she just smiles and maintains eye contact. They finish breakfast in silence, both women more hungry than they thought. Immediately after eating, Carol starts to clear the table. “Carol, don’t, I know you have to go, I don’t have any classes today, I got this.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to leave a mess for you.”

“Seriously, it’s fine, go talk to your professor before class.”

“Thank you so much. I’m so jealous you have Friday’s off. I’ll call you later?” Carol moves close to Therese, wrapping her arms around her waist to pull her in. Their faces close to one another, Therese nods a yes in answer, and stares into Carol’s eyes. Carol brings her lips down to Therese and slowly kisses her, promising her they’ll do this again soon. It’s slow, full of passion, and Therese swears she can feel the kiss run throughout her entire body. All she can do is wrap her arms around Carol’s neck and match her speed and tenderness. She can tell Carol is as reluctant as she is to separate, but they both know she has responsibilities to tend to. Carol silently breaks away, grabbing her things to make a quick exit, but smiles back at Therese one last time as she heads out the door.

Therese spends the rest of her morning cleaning her apartment and reliving every moment of the night before with Carol. She can’t wait to hear from Carol later, and is hopeful she’ll get to see her before class on Monday. She notices Carol left her clothes from the night before neatly folded on her bathroom counter. _Good, a reason for her to come back. _Around ten, Therese decides to open up her laptop and do some studying. She wonders how Carol is doing, but doesn’t want to push and reach out to her before she does, agreeing to Carol’s promise to call her later. So she loses herself in her studying, getting ready for the following week of class.

A little after noon, her phone beeps. Jumping to grab it, expecting Carol, Therese frowns to see that it’s just Danny. _Oops, better not tell Danny I’m disappointed to hear from him. _Chuckling at herself, she reads his message.

> D: T! You fucked Carol last night??
> 
> T: Um, how do you know this?
> 
> D: Why didn’t you tell me first thing this morning????
> 
> T: Um, how do you know this?
> 
> D: She really likes you T. Like, really likes you. I’m at the café and she’s in the booth behind me with one of her friends, I think her name is Abby? They’ve been here for five minutes and she’s only been able to talk about you.
> 
> T: For real?? Tell me everything!
> 
> D: I will, but we WILL come back to you withholding information from me.
> 
> T: Ok ok I’m sorry. Tell me how it started.
> 
> D: So I’ve been sitting here all morning working on a sketch, and I saw Carol come in with her friend, who is also really pretty too by the way, and they sat in the back booth behind me. Her friend started with, “You slept with Therese? Carol! Tell me everything, right now.” Come to think of it, I like her friend, I think we’d get along. Anyway, so Carol says yes she slept with you last night and it was the most mind blowing sex she’s ever had. Then she got really quiet and whispered something but I think I heard her say “tongue” and “amazing fingers.” Which, as a gay man, I almost puked but I’m so proud of you that I held it in.
> 
> T: Did she say anything else?
> 
> D: Well, her friend is happy that she got some, but also said that you’re really young and she hopes Carol knows what she’s doing. Carol said “I don’t, I never did.” But it sounded so hopeful and sweet and nice. I think she really likes you Therese. Like, really like LIKES you. Don’t fuck this up.
> 
> T: I really LIKE LIKE her too, Danny. Probably more than I should, we barely know each other.
> 
> D: That’s what she said too! “Abby, we barely know each other, but I feel like I’ve known her all along.”
> 
> T: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> D: Ok I’m going to stop telling you things because 1. I’m petty and 2. I think you deserve to hear anything else from her and not from me. So don’t be a scared timid thing and make this hot lady your woman.
> 
> T: Ugh Danny tell me!! I would tell you!
> 
> D: No you wouldn’t, you wouldn’t even be paying attention or you’d have your headphones on and would never overhear someone professing their adoration for me. AND you’re almost as good a friend as I am and you’d want me to hear it from them.
> 
> T: Fine…

In her apartment, Therese is losing her mind, unable to wrap her head around Danny’s messages. _I knew I felt something more there, a familiarity I couldn’t place. I never would have guessed it would have been reciprocated. I thought it could have been, but didn’t want to misconstrue her words or assume it was just a one night stand and something for fun. I have to see what this turns into… _

Therese spends the beginning of her afternoon lightly cleaning her already neat apartment, and listening to music and dancing around, giving herself the afternoon off to lounge around her apartment, a rarity she knows she won’t have the chance to experience too much once the semester really kicks off. Around three her phone chirps, her mood lighting up even more than it already was. She has a message from Carol.

> crossaird: So I realized we never exchanged phone numbers…
> 
> terezzed: Oh yea! Here’s mine.

After sending over her phone number, her phone beeps again, this time in a text.

> C: How has your day been?
> 
> T: Pretty good ;) How are you? How was class?
> 
> C: Really great actually, my professor really helped me and we walked through the case study together, I feel really good about it.
> 
> T: That’s great! I’m happy that worked out for you Carol.
> 
> C: What are you doing the rest of the day?
> 
> T: Staying in, enjoying my sofa and lounging. You left your clothes here by the way.
> 
> C: I know, I had to leave something behind to come back and get from you later… which means now… I was wondering if you’d want to hang out today. Now? 
> 
> T: I’d love to, do you want to come lounge with me at my place?
> 
> C: Yes. I’ll be right over.

Therese’s heart races, jumping up to go check herself in the mirror and spray on some perfume before Carol comes over. Her house is already tidy, so she decides to just make sure she looks decent for Carol to come back over, but remembering Carol is still in the clothes she let her borrow, so she stays casual and comfortable in a pair of yoga pants and oversized hoodie. Twenty minutes later, Carol arrives with a knock at the door. Therese opens the door, leaning against the frame as she greets the older blonde. Somehow she looks even better than she did this morning, a bright smile gracing her perfect cream complexion.

The two women smile at each other, both taking the time to look at one another, Carol’s eyes sweeping over Therese, head to toe. “Hey,” she says, her grin widening into a full smile, flashing her perfect teeth at Therese. “Hey,” is all Therese can return, her smile equaling Carol’s, her dimples on full display. Realizing Carol is still standing outside, Therese steps to the side and gestures for Carol to come in. As the older woman passes her, she can smell her own shampoo on Carol, mixed with her natural scent, and decides it’s one of her new favorite smells, after Carol’s own perfume, both falling in line after what the woman smells like during sex. In awe of the woman passing by her, Therese can’t help herself, and reaches down to grab Carol’s hand. When the woman’s blue eyes meet her own, she tugs her in close, quickly stepping up on her tip toes to give the woman a quick, full kiss on the lips. “I like my clothes on you, Carol.” She can see the older woman start to blush, “Thanks, I like them too. Except I had lunch with Abby today and she immediately knew these were not mine.” Chuckling, Therese asks, “So what did you tell her?”

“I told her I spent the night with this really gorgeous brunette who gave me the best orgasm of my life.”

Shocked, Therese doesn’t know how to respond, staring at Carol with wide eyes and her mouth parted in shock. Quietly laughing, Carol steps into Therese’s space, her hands coming down to the hem of her oversized hoodie, slightly tugging on it, “I like this massive thing on you,” Carol’s turn to lower her head and kiss Therese back. She keeps her lips on Therese’s longer, holding them in place, waiting for Therese to lean into the kiss. As soon as she does, Carol pulls on the hoodie harder, pulling Therese close into her. Keeping her hands at the hem, Therese feels Carol start to move her hands under the hoodie, feeling her cool hands on her stomach, moving both over the flat surface, up towards her ribs. Humming in pleasure, Therese probes Carol’s lips with her tongue, hearing Carol moan when their tongues meet, gliding over one another at a slow and tortuous pace. As the two deepen the kiss, Carol’s hands move to cup both of Therese’s breasts. Carol quickly pulls her lips away to look at Therese, “You’re not wearing anything under this?” A rhetorical question, as Therese holds Carol’s gaze, no need for an answer. “Next time I’ll have to tell Abby she wasn’t just gorgeous, she was incredibly sexy and gave me a newfound love for oversized hoodies.” Carol squeezes Therese’s breasts harder, her fingers moving to find both nipples to tug on, moving back in to put her mouth back over Therese’s.

Carol removes her hands, reaching back down to tug on the hoodie, pulling Therese back into her bedroom, Carol already familiar with the space, easily leading her into her room. “I didn’t come here just to sleep with you again, but now that I’ve seen you I can’t help myself,” Carol whispers in Therese’s ear as she pulls the hoodie up and over the young woman’s head, her eyes moving to scan her body, dark with lust. Therese shivers from the look in Carol’s eyes, and remembers the messages Dannie sent her earlier. Letting all caution fall away, Therese let’s her lust show, returning Carol’s look. Both women step into each other at the same time, hurried and passionate. Both undressing each other and themselves, whichever piece will come off faster. Carol still leading the way, she pulls Therese and turns them around, gently pushing Therese back on the bed.

Carol takes a moment to look over the woman in front of her, Therese completely nude and waiting, her chest heaving in anticipation. Normally, Therese would be self-conscious about anyone staring at her naked body like this, but the look in Carol’s eyes of complete lust drive away any and all insecurities. As Carol climbs on the bed to hover over Therese, she slowly glides her hands up the woman’s stomach to her chest. As the two become eye level, Therese hears her whisper, “I never looked like that.” Therese takes in a breath, shocked a woman as strikingly beautiful as Carol would say something like that about her. She wraps her hands in Carol’s hair, pulling her down to meet her lips, her kiss expressing a “thank you” as well as a reciprocation of the complement. Carol deepens the kiss, biting Therese’s jaw, neck, down to her collarbone. Therese can’t quite comprehend what’s happening, giving in to the moment and submitting herself to the blonde. As Carol’s mouth finds her nipple, Therese let’s out a loud moan, and hears Carol’s whimper around her nipple shortly after. With each move of her tongue, Therese can feel herself throbbing between her legs, her wetness coating the sides of her thighs. Carol moves to the other nipple, pulling it into her mouth quickly, sucking on it harder than the last. Therese moans louder this time, and again Carol whimpers. _I think she likes this as much as I do. _

Carol replaces her mouth with her hands, her fingers rolling and squeezing the younger woman’s nipples, as her tongue moves down over her stomach. Therese arches her back, her hips moving off the bed in a jerk reaction. _I’ve never felt anything so good before, this is unreal. _To Therese’s chagrin, Carol moves passed where she wants her, feeling her lips on her thighs, slowly moving up her inner thigh. When she hears Carol moan, she knows she must have found the wet spot on her thigh. “Therese, you’re so wet,” Carol breathes out, looking up to find green eyes. “You drive me crazy, Carol,” is all she hears herself reply. “You taste wonderful,” Carol moves to her other thigh, her tongue finding the other wet spot, and cleans it with her tongue, another moan escaping her. Therese has never been filled with such a desire before, her body taking over, she opens her legs for Carol, showing her exactly how much she wants her. She can feel Carol’s breath on her, her mouth hovering over her.

“Oh, Therese,” is the last thing she hears before she feels her entire clit being taken into Carol’s warm mouth. Both women moan at the same time, Therese bucking in her hips in pleasure. Carol moves her hands to her hips, pushing her down into the bed to keep her in place. She continues to run her tongue over Therese’s swollen clit, over and over, circling it and flicking it with her tongue at a perfectly slow pace. Therese can feel her stomach doing flips, her chest ragged in each breath. Carol’s soft tongue is moving in patterns Therese craves, but never seem to do herself when she touches herself. “Hmm, Carol, you feel so good.” At this, Carol moves her hands to grab Therese’s thighs, lifting them up to open her legs even wider. With this new angle, Therese feels Carol move her tongue down to her opening, making circles all the way around it. “You’re so wet darling,” Carol whispers again as she pushes her tongue inside Therese. Therese yelps in ecstasy, her moaning continuing as she feels Carol start to fuck her with her tongue. She’s never had anyone do this to her before, and it feels better than she would have thought. She can feel her orgasm building, Carol bringing her right to the precipice, holding her there but not quite pushing her over the edge. She feels Carol’s nails digging into her thighs, one hand scratching its way over her leg up towards her hip. Carol brings her hand around her thigh, her thumb finding Therese’s clit, still swollen and throbbing. She starts to rub it in circles, pushing down on it softly at first, but harder with each moan she hears in response. As Carol moves faster, her tongue still fucking Therese and her thumb pushing down harder on her clit, Therese gives in when she hears Carol moan into her, all she needs to push herself over the edge. Her whole body trembles, her back arching and her toes curling, her legs squeezing around Carol’s head, her hands entangling in blonde hair, pulling it and yet pushing it into her at the same time. Her orgasm lasts longer than any she’s had before, her body quaking minutes after. Carol doesn’t move, keeping her thumb pushed down and her tongue inside the woman, until the last of her spasms stop.

Therese feels Carol kiss her clit, a moan escaping her lips again. She looks down to see Carol staring directly at her, a question and a challenge in her eyes. Carol kisses her clit again, and Therese can’t help herself, her hips jumping up at the sensation. She’s still sensitive from her orgasm, and seeing Carol’s face glisten in her own juices turns her on again. Therese screams again, feeling Carol suck on her clit hard and fast, her tongue quickly flicking it over and over, faster and harder each time. Therese is close to her second orgasm, she knows she can’t hold out for long, and is pushed over the edge when she feels Carol enter her swiftly and deep with one finger, curling up, instantly finding her g-spot. Therese comes fast, crying out in pleasure, saying Carol’s name over and over until she comes down. This time, Carol climbs up her body, finding her lips to kiss her, her tongue pushing inside her mouth. It’s the sexiest kiss Therese has ever experienced, and is surprised to find she’s still turned on after two life altering orgasms.

She immediately flips Carol over, kissing her harder, pinning her hands up above her head as she pushes her pelvis into the older woman. Both moaning, Therese moves a hand down, cupping Carol’s drenched pussy in her hand, her fingers sliding through folds, memorizing the landscape under her fingertips. “Therese, please, I can’t wait, I need you.” Therese doesn’t need to be told twice, she enters Carol with two fingers, and begins fucking her at a quick pace. With each thrust, she goes as deep as she can, and pulls out almost completely. Carol is a moaning mess underneath her, so Therese props herself up on her knees, using them to push open Carol’s legs as much as she can. “Carol, look at me,” Carol opens her eyes to find dark green eyes staring at her, Therese smirking, her dimples barely hiding on her cheeks. Therese continues to fuck Carol, feeling every inch of her she can reach, bringing her other hand to meet her, finding her clit. Before she touches it, she waits until Carol is there, almost ready, she can feel her walls contracting around her, getting close to the final one. Therese moves her fingers to find that spot again, and when she does, she pushes down on the woman’s clit at the same time, rubbing it fast and hard. She moans with Carol, feeling her walls tighten around her, pulling her in deeper with each contraction, a deep moan matching each one. Carol brings her hands to Therese’s, moving them out of and away from her, and brings the young woman to lie down on top of her. Both are still breathing heavily, Therese tucks her head under Carol’s chin, neither moving nor saying anything until their breathing calms down.

Therese decides to speak first, “Carol that was amazing.”

“It really was.”

“So if you weren’t coming here just to fuck me, why were you coming here?”

Chuckling, Carol responds, “I was coming here to ask you out on a real date.”

Sitting up to look at Carol, Therese’s eyes widen in surprise, “You were?”

“I was. Do you think you’d like to go out with me, Therese Belivet?”

“I’d love to. When were you thinking?”

“Tonight, actually. I have Rindy tomorrow and Sunday, so I was thinking tonight, if you are free?”

“I love that idea.”

“I’ll have to go home to shower and change first.”

“Ok I hate that idea.”

“After what we just did, we both need to shower,” Carol laughs.

“Fully agree, but what if you stay here and we shower together, and then we just order in and spend the night together again?” _Was that too much? I think it was too much, oh shit I’m gonna scare her away and Dannie’s going to kill me before I get a chance to kill myself. _

“Therese Belivet, has anyone ever told you what a smart girl you are? That’s a wonderful idea.”


	7. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a quick chapter of the rest of their night together.

The two spend hours in bed, an easy conversation taking over, each learning about each other. Their likes and dislikes, favorite movies, favorite songs, sharing childhood memories and telling one another about their experiences growing up. Therese commits everything to memory, not wanting to forget a thing Carol has told her. She loves how well they mesh, each complementing each other, a perfect fit. They both love coffee first thing in the morning, and only add sweetener if it’s an espresso drink from a café. They both love eating out in the city, trying new places as often as they can, both inclined to seafood and sushi. Therese loves going out to underground clubs that play techno, while Carol prefers to stay in. They both find they love the ballet and opera, Therese having never been to the New York ballet, so they promise they’ll go together this season. Carol hates the subway and public transportation in general, and Therese finds it hilarious for a New Yorker. Therese hates when people chew with their mouth open, and Carol claims she’s never paid attention but now she’ll be ruined forever. They both enjoy comedies, and hate romantic comedies, unless it features a lesbian couple, or Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

“You know, I don’t think I’ve had a two hour conversation like this with another adult in years,” Carol says, looking directly into Therese’s eyes.

“I definitely never have, it’s always just me and my cat at home. It’s nice to not be alone.”

“I know what you mean, I often find myself talking to myself at home, just to have some noise in the apartment.”

“What do you talk to yourself about?”

“I usually just narrate what I’m doing, or I make my to-do lists out loud, and completely forget them later when I need them,” Carol chuckles, hiding embarrassment at her admission. 

“That’s adorable.”

“Adorable? I was thinking sad…”

“No, it’s adorable.”

“What do you do if you don’t talk to yourself?”

“I talk to my cat, I think that’s worse than talking to myself. I’m like a crazy cat lady.”

“Well, you’d be the hottest crazy cat lady I’ve ever seen.”

The two get lost in each other’s eyes again, silently watching each other and speaking with glances and smiles. Therese feels comfortable and safe with Carol, a new feeling she knows she should probably be cautious of, but she feels so certain Carol feels the same way about her, and it calms all her nerves. Both women are interrupted by the sound of Therese’s stomach, a loud rumble indicating her hunger. Carol laughs loudly, “Ok, we need to order food now. What do you want?”

“Anything and everything. I’ll order from my favorite spot, do you mind what kind of dumplings I get?”

“No, order your favorite and I’ll be happy with anything, I’m starving too.”

Therese places her usual order on her phone, doubling it for the two of them, and tells Carol it’ll be there in forty minutes. “Good, we have enough time to shower before it gets here.” Carol pulls Therese up out of bed with her, dragging her to the bathroom. “But it was so nice and warm in bed,” Therese protests the movement.

“I know, but we stink.”

“I think we smell wonderful.”

“I mean, I do too, but I’m sure the delivery person won’t.”

Carol turns on the shower, letting the water warm up, while Therese grabs two clean towels to set next to the shower. The bathroom is small, but is big enough for both women to move around each other comfortably, Therese fully enjoying having someone to share her space with. She never thought she’d have another woman in her apartment like this, especially so soon after meeting one another. Therese is happy to learn Carol enjoys hot showers too, both women standing close together under the spray of the hot water. Therese feels her body warm instantly, and not just from the shower. She moves her hands to Carol’s hips, turning her body so the older woman is completely under the stream of the shower head. Therese runs her hands up to her head, raking her fingers through her hair, scratching her scalp. Carol closes her eyes and leans her head back, enjoying all of Therese’s touches. She washes Carol’s hair, taking her time to give her a scalp massage. When she finishes rinsing out the shampoo, she lets Carol put in the conditioner, while she continues her massage down her neck and shoulders. “Therese, if you don’t stop, we’re never going to get of the shower to eat our food.”

“You can get out and grab our food,” Therese replies as she sinks down on her knees, looking up to Carol with a grin on her face and a sparkle in her eye. 

When she doesn’t hear a protest from Carol, only seeing her grin widen, Therese knows she won’t be telling her to stop. She lifts Carol’s leg and places her foot on the ledge in the shower, positioning her so she’s still under the water and won’t get cold, but enough out of the way so it won’t get in her own way. She’ll never tire of the way Carol tastes, or the sounds she makes when she teases her with her tongue. Therese moves her tongue, slow and light, all the way around, touching her everywhere except where she wants her. Carol is breathing heavy, panting, “Therese, please don’t tease me, I need you.” Therese denies her request, and continues to tease around her, sucking in the skin around her opening, and above her clit. She can feel it driving the woman above her mad, but she wants to see how long she can continue the game. On the third round, Carol growls and begs, “Therese, please.” Therese stops to look up, making eye contact with the woman, “Make me, Carol.” Therese feels Carol snake her hands through her hair, and pushes her face into her pussy, forcing her mouth to press into Carol’s clit. Therese smiles before she groans, and pushes her tongue out flat to apply pressure to Carol’s enlarged clit. Carol moans loudly, keeping Therese’s head held in place, right where she needs her. Therese shows she won’t move anywhere, and keeps her tongue pushed flat against it, allowing Carol to move and grind on her at her own pace. Carol picks up the pace, making sporadic movements, pushing harder on Therese’s tongue. Both women are moaning, Carol making incoherent noises above Therese. It doesn’t take long for the older woman to cry out, coming in Therese’s mouth, exactly what both women wanted. Therese takes her time, sucking Carol’s come from all around her, dipping her tongue in her opening to ensure she gets it all in her mouth. “Therese, I need a break,” Carol pulls her head away, looking down at her with a large grin on her face.

Therese gives in, and stands up to kiss Carol. When their kiss starts to become heated, Therese pulls away, “Let me wash you so you can get out first in case the food comes soon.” Carol nods, and let’s Therese wash her body, head to toe. Therese has never felt the urge to do this for someone before, and is surprised at the want she has for this woman. She can’t wait to tell Dannie about it. When she’s done cleaning Carol, she motions her head out the door, “There’s a robe hanging on the back of the door, you can put that on if you’d like, I have another hanging in my closet.”

“Thank you Therese, this is the best twenty-four hours I’ve had in a very long time,” Carol says as she grabs Therese’s face, giving her one more kiss before she steps out of the shower to dry off. Therese hurries to finish cleaning herself, taking ten minutes to wash her hair and clean her body. When she steps out of the shower, she can hear Carol answering the door, taking the food from the delivery person. The two set up the food at the coffee table, Carol laying out the food containers while Therese finds something to watch on tv. They settle on a sitcom they’ve both seen before, not needing to pay attention, but something to have on in the background while they eat. Neither realizing just how hungry they were, they spend the next ten minutes in silence, eating around each other and enjoying their meal.

“These are the best dumplings I’ve ever had, holy shit,” Carol tells Therese, in a most serious tone.

“I told you they were good.”

“How do you even eat anything else? I would just order this every day!”

“I think I did the first time I found them, now I just try to do monthly.”

“Well add me to your monthly rotation so I can eat this with you.”

“Ok, I will,” Therese smiles over at Carol, watching her eat another dumpling. _She is the cutest thing. _

After they eat, they both clean up the area and come back to the couch together, sitting close to one another, each with a beer in hand. “What are you doing with Rindy tomorrow?”

“This is the first time I’ll have her overnight, with only our mornings supervised, so this is completely new. Usually, we always start with breakfast at home, we make pancakes together and then we laugh at how horrible of a chef I am, but we make do and have fun together. Tomorrow after our pancake try-out, I’m going to take her to the children’s museum, they have painting lessons tomorrow I know she’ll love. Then we’ll go see a movie and get her home in time for a bath before bedtime. Sunday we’ll have breakfast together before her father comes to get her. It’s short, but I’m so happy to have her spend the night for the first time.”

“That sounds lovely. You’re a really good Mom, Carol.”

“Am I? I have to have supervised visits with my daughter, some would argue with you.”

“Only because your ex is a maniac, not because you did anything.”

“Thank you for that Therese, it’s been really tough going through this, but it’s worth it to have my daughter see her mother smile.”

“I hope you know you don’t have to leave tonight, Carol. You can stay here again if you’d like?”

“Would you like me to stay?”

“I would.”

“Then I’ll stay,” Carol leans over to Therese, kissing her once, full on the lips. “You know, I can hear Abby now, telling me I’m moving too fast with you.”

“And what will you tell her when she says that?”

“Hmm, I’ll tell her to mind her own fucking business, to which we’ll both laugh, and then I’ll follow up with ‘when you know why waste time?’”

“What do you know?”

“I know I like you, a lot. I know we have a connection that goes beyond sex, and I know we have incredible sex. So why waste time? Unless you feel differently, I just sensed we were on the same wavelength, I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn.” Carol rambles, and Therese thinks it’s adorable when she rambles, but stops her with a finger to her mouth.

“We’re on the same wavelength Carol.” Both women smile at each other, Therese watching Carol’s eyes sweep over her body. Realizing they're both still in robes, with nothing on underneath, makes Therese squirm. Not unnoticed by Carol, she reaches over to take the beer bottle out of the younger woman’s hand, placing both on the coffee table in front of them. Carol moves to Therese, straddling her as she undoes her robe, letting it fall off and away from her chest, allowing Therese to look at her uncovered breasts. Therese can’t do anything but stare, losing all function of her body. Carol chuckles, “Here, let me help you,” and takes Therese’s hands in her own, moving them to cup her breasts, squeezing her hands over the younger woman’s, massaging her breasts together. Therese whimpers, and Carol moans while she starts grinding down on Therese’s’ thigh underneath her. Therese is still unable to move, simply watching Carol’s movements on top of her. Carol moves her hands to quickly undo the young woman’s robe, untying it and pulling it out of the way, allowing her dripping center to make contact with Therese’s leg. Therese is still unable to move, her mind swimming and reeling from the sexy view in front of her. Carol continues to grind down on Therese, moving herself so she’s fully on top of her thigh, her juices dripping down the smooth leg under her. Noticing Therese is still frozen, she guides the young woman’s hands from her breasts, around to cup her ass, squeezing and pulling her cheeks apart. Therese can only whimper, and is completely lost in the moment. Carol’s moans grow louder, “Fuck Therese, I really like your hands on my ass like that.” Carol moves her hands lower on her ass, making Therese graze over her opening, feeling how wet she is. Carol lowers her lips to the girls ear, “Do you feel how wet you make me? No one has ever made me this wet before. Feel what you do to me Therese.”

Carol’s voice snaps Therese out of her trance, and her mind takes over her hands, squeezing Carol’s ass, and running her fingers along her opening, spreading her sex all over. Therese has never done anything like this before, but she can sense Carol likes it, her wetness coating her leg, the woman still grinding on her thigh, moaning in her ear. Therese moves a finger to her opening, tracing the outline and gathering the lubricant on her finger, she lightly moves her finger up, rubbing the liquid up to her ass, circling the woman’s asshole, barely touching it. Carol cries out in pleasure, “Therese! Fuck! Please do that again!” Therese repeats the motion, applying more pressure and taking her time. She can feel Carol gush all over her leg, and moans as she takes the woman’s mouth with her own. They begin to sloppily kiss each other, each fighting for dominance with their tongues. Between kisses, Carol tells Therese to do it again, “Keep touching me like that, I’m so close.” Therese continues the movement, faster, tracing the path from her ass to her opening, over and over again. Carol matches the movement, grinding herself on Therese, rubbing her clit on her thigh, until she comes, screaming Therese’s name three times. She stays on top of the younger woman, wrapping her arms around her neck, resting her head next to her ear. “Fuck Therese. That was fucking amazing, you’re incredible. No one’s ever touched me like that before.”

“I’ve never done anything like that. You’re so hot, I have to be dreaming.”

“You’re not dreaming baby, I’ll show you.” Carol quietly whispers, killing Therese with how sexy her voice is. She feels Carol snake her hand between the two women, spreading Therese open to feel her. “See baby, do you feel how wet you are for me?” Therese can only whimper in response. “Do you hear how wet you are?” Therese can hear her wetness on Carol’s fingers as they move through her folds, Carol easily sliding through the young woman. Carol slides in two fingers, Therese groaning as she pushes all the way in, “Oh baby, you’re so tight for me, you feel so good wrapped around me.” Carol’s words are enough to bring Therese to the edge, “Carol, if you keep talking to me like this I’m not gonna last very long.”

“Good, I don’t want you to last. Come for me.” Carol starts to fuck Therese, fast, pounding into her. “I love hearing how wet I make you, it makes my mouth water.” Therese moans, her hands reaching out to hold onto Carol, her orgasm close behind her. “Ah, Carol, oh my god, please… fuck… faster.” She gets out in between ragged breaths. Carol smiles, obliging to the request, and starts to fuck her harder and faster, her fingers curling up, always easy to find the spot she was looking for. Therese cries out, her orgasm taking over, she can feel it all the way in her toes, her stomach on fire, her eyes slammed shut in pleasure. Carol slows down, slowly moving her fingers, letting Therese enjoy the ride. “Therese, do you feel me inside of you?” Therese nods before Carol continues, “Do you feel yourself coming, pulling me deeper into you each wave?” Therese nods again, “You feel so good when you come, Therese, I’m already so wet again.”

“Carol, your dirty mouth is going to be the death of me.”

“Should I stop then, so you don’t die?” Carol smirks, teasing Therese.

“Don’t ever stop.” Therese moves her hand down to Carol’s her fingers still deep inside, “You feel so good Carol, I’ve never had sex feel this good before.”

“Me too,” Carol slowly starts to pull out of Therese, both women whimpering at the action. Carol moves her hand to her mouth, sucking her fingers clean. Therese is floored by the move, and immediately kisses Carol, pushing her tongue in to taste herself on the woman’s lips. Their kiss lasts a long time, both taking their time to get lost in one another. Carol pulls back, resting her forehead against the young woman’s, neither saying a word so they can enjoy being in each other’s space.

“So, Therese Belivet, what would you like to do with the rest of our evening?”

“Well, I was thinking we could start a movie and see where the night takes us before we crash. I’m still kind of tired from only getting three hours of sleep last night.”

“I like your plan.”

They choose a movie on Netflix, and lie down together on the couch, Therese as the big spoon to carol, wrapping a blanket over both of their naked bodies. Both women quickly fall into the comfort of the other, and fall into a deep sleep. It isn’t until the end of the movie when Therese wakes up to see the credits rolling. Realizing they’ll both end up with sore necks, she stirs Carol, “Hey, let’s go to bed.” Carol grumbles, but wakes up enough to agree, letting Therese lead her to the room and under the covers. This time Carol wraps her arms around Therese, letting her body tuck into her own, holding her close and tight against her. Therese falls asleep faster than she ever has before, comfortable and safe with Carol.

Saturday mornings comes around fast, Therese’s eyes opening again right at seven. This time, Carol is awake with her, her alarm clock going off to make sure she wakes up in time to meet Rindy at nine. After turning off the alarm, she wraps her arm back around Therese’s waist, pulling her back in so there’s no space between the two. Therese hums in agreement, enjoying the feeling of Carol’s body pressed against her backside. “Therese, if you keep pushing your ass into me like that I’m never going to leave your apartment.”

“I honestly didn’t even realize I was doing that. But now that I know the power it holds, I think I’ll use it to keep you here,” Therese responds with a laugh.

Carol pinches her side, causing Therese to squirm and giggle. “Ah stop I’m ticklish!” Therese yelps, still squirming under Carol’s strong hold. Carol lets out a hearty laugh, “You are so cute when you scream.” Carol finally stops, pulling Therese back in to hold her. “I have to leave soon to make it back to my place, but I think I have time to make you scream for me one more time,” Carol tells Therese as she moves her body on top of the younger woman, using her legs to spread the others open. She leans down to kiss Therese, and Therese is ready and waiting, her body quickly responding to Carol. As their kiss turns into heat, Therese rolls Carol back onto her side, so they’re facing one another, not breaking the kiss. Therese moves a leg in between Carol’s, creating an open space for her hand. Before she moves her hand to touch Carol, she uses her other hand to find Carol’s, and guides Carol to her own center, timing her touch to Carol at the same exact moment. Both women moan into each other, feeling how ready they are for one another. Therese mimics Carol’s touch, both women using their fingers to move through the coated folds, their palms applying pressure to the clit. It’s slow and light, a moment to enjoy what each other feels like.

Carol keeps the same movement, moving her fingers through Therese, making her whole area completely wet. Therese continues to mimic the same movements on Carol, a half second behind the older woman. Therese tries to move her hips to press harder on Carol’s hand, but Carol moves her hand to keep the touch light. “Not yet, Therese, let me touch you,” Carol pulls back to look into the younger woman’s eyes. She keeps eye contact with Therese as she continues to lightly trace her opening with one finger, keeping her palm pushed against Therese’s clit. Therese’s eyes flutter, but she forces herself to focus so she can mirror the movement on Carol. “Carol, you’re so wet,” Therese whispers. “I know, you do this to me. I’ve never been like this before.” Therese whimpers, causing Carol to apply more pressure to her clit. “Therese, come with me,” Carol demands, pushing her hand into Therese hard, rubbing her clit with her palm in small, fast circles. Her finger continues to trace her opening, slightly dipping in every now and then. Therese does the same movements to Carol, both women breathing heavily, moaning together. Neither breaking eye contact, they keep the same pace, but both push in their fingers as deep as they can go. Their movements are no longer synced as both are moving their hands on each other as fast as they can. Carol moves her other hand to Therese’s neck to hold her, moving her mouth on top of Therese’s, deeply kissing her. Therese moans into the kiss, bringing her free hand up to hold Carol’s head in place. When Carol puts a second finger inside Therese, Therese can feel herself about to explode, but she wants to wait for Carol. She adds her second finger into Carol, and immediately feels Carol contract around her, signaling her orgasm. Both women come at the same time, crying out at the each other, their bodies shaking and trembling. They take their time with each other, coming down and riding out wave after wave, connected to each other, slowly kissing one another. 

Carol speaks first, “I have to go Therese, but I want you to know this has been the best two days I’ve ever had, and I want to see where things go with you. If you’ll let me? I know I have baggage, and I’m older with a child-“

“Carol, you don’t need to finish, I’m already a yes. It doesn’t matter what your situation is, I have baggage too. I want to know everything about you. And I want to keep doing this,” Therese grins before she plants a kiss on Carol’s lips. She can feel the older woman smiling into her, happy with her response.

“I hope you have a good weekend Therese, I’ll call you Sunday after Rindy leaves. If that's ok with you?”

“Of course, go enjoy time with your daughter, I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

At this, Carol leaves the bed to put the borrowed clothes back on, stopping into the bathroom to freshen up before leaving. Therese walks Carol to the door, stealing in another kiss before she leaves. As soon as Carol’s gone, Therese runs to grab her phone, calling Danny. Answering on the fourth ring, Danny yells into the phone, “T, it’s before eight on a fucking Saturday what is wrong with you?”

“Oh sorry Sir Danny, call me later then so I can tell you about how Carol spent the night with me last night again.”

“Again?? Hold on, let me get ready, I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

“I knew that would get you up. Bring us coffee,” Therese gets out before Danny hangs up. She can’t stop the smile on her face the whole morning as she showers and gets ready to see her best friend. _Carol. Carol, Carol, Carol. _It’s the new song in her head, the one she’ll play anytime her mind is idle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy thanksgiving ;)


	8. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter - can our ladies spend a weekend apart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my apologies for the delay, i've started a new job and it's been demanding. i plan to update more frequently now that things are settled. happy holiday's!!

Therese and Danny spend all day Saturday talking and catching up, thoroughly enjoying their day together. Danny is proud of Therese hooking up with Carol, also not quite believing she was capable of catching such a hot older woman. Therese expresses her feelings to Danny, excited about the new road ahead with Carol, but scared about moving so quickly. “Danny, I just never thought I’d ever find someone I really liked so much, and I’m afraid I like Carol too much too soon.”

“T, I think you should follow your heart on this one. You’ll be ok,” The last phrase Danny says before he leaves Therese at home for the night. She feels better having confided in him and expressing her emotions, rather than keeping it all in. _Danny is such a good friend to me, I really need to make sure I’m just as good to him when the time comes. _

Therese spends the rest of the day in her apartment, loving on her cat and enjoying her day inside. She knows this weekend will be a rare one, her class schedule not really picking up too much this early on in the semester. She decides to call it an early night, lying in bed watching Netflix on her laptop, not really paying attention to what’s in front of her. All she can think about is Carol. She knows she’s in trouble with her, she knows that she’s falling for this woman. She can’t stop thinking about how intense their sex is, and how much time they’ve spent in bed together. _I’ve never felt this way before. I’ve never had butterflies in my stomach by just the thought of someone. _

Her mind wanders to their time on the couch, her hands wandering over her body on their own accord, her eyes shut thinking about Carol’s body. She tries to touch herself, thinking of Carol, but is unable to reach the same peaks Carol takes her to so quickly. Giving in, Therese opens her bedside drawer to pull out her vibrator, hoping it’ll give her the release she needs to fall asleep. It’s past ten and she’s exhausted, but knows she won’t sleep with these craving thoughts she has of Carol. She has it pressed into her, she’s close, picturing Carol’s piercing blue eyes and swollen lips. She’s close, but it doesn’t feel as good as Carol’s hands, or tongue for that matter, but it’ll do for now.

Suddenly her phone rings, she reaches to ignore the call, _who the fuck is calling me now, _she questions in her head. Looking at the phone, already irritated, Therese sees Carol’s name flashing on the screen. _Oh fuck! _Therese turns off her vibrator, quickly throwing it aside, and tries her best to calm her breathing before she answers the phone.

“Carol! Hi!”

“Hi Therese, I hope I’m not bothering you…”

“Of course not. How are you?”

“Good. I put Rindy to sleep a while ago, and I can’t fall asleep, I wanted to talk to you. Are you busy? You sound out of breath.”

“No, no, not busy at all. I actually can’t sleep either. Tell me about your day.”

“You sure? I don’t want to bore you with mom details.”

“Carol, I want to know all about what you did with Rindy, please tell me.”

“You’re so kind. We had a great day together, the pancakes were better than last time, even though they were still horrible. The art museum was so much fun, Rindy really took to painting. I’ll have to make sure to enroll her in real classes soon. We watched Frozen for the tenth time, and she crashed five minutes after her bath. She loves her new room in my apartment, I’m so happy to have her sleeping here tonight.”

“That sounds wonderful Carol, I’m so happy for you. I can hear your smile.”

“You can?”

“Oh yea, super obvious.”

“No one’s ever paid that close attention to me, Therese. How was your day? What did you do?”

“Not much really, my best friend Danny came over and we spent the day catching up with each other. Mostly eating and watching RuPaul’s drag race, it’s our tradition.”

“That’s cute… Therese?”

“Yes, Carol?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“I’m lying in bed, I was watching tv, and thinking about you.”

“I’m in bed too. What were you thinking about?”

Unsure of how honest she should be, Therese hears Danny’s voice in her head, _don’t be a bitch Therese, go full force with this hot lesbian._ “I was thinking about how much fun I had with you, and really enjoy your company and conversation. I was thinking about your eyes, and how one look from you sets me on fire. I was thinking about all the ways you touched me, and how you feel under my hands.”

“Is that all you were doing Therese? Just thinking about me?” Carol purrs into the phone.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because your voice sounded like sex Therese when you answered, and you were out of breath. You can tell me if you were touching yourself Therese…”

“Fuck,” Therese whispers, “Maybe I was.”

“Tell me what you were doing,” Carol’s voice is lower now, quiet, her mouth pressed into the phone. Therese can hear she’s anxiously waiting for her response.

“Honestly, I was having a hard time using just my hands, so I was using my vibrator and thinking about our time on the couch last night.”

“What did you like about the time on the couch?”

“Everything. I loved the way you were grinding on me, I loved the way you felt, I loved the way you were talking in my ear. Your ass…,” Therese notices she’s breathing harder into the phone, her clit throbbing, reminding her how close she was to the edge.

“You liked when I was talking to you?” Therese can hear Carol’s voice, deep and low, quiet in the phone, but it’s vibrating in her chest.

“I did.”

“Good, I like it too. Therese?”

“Yes?” Therese notices her voice is shaky, her whole body trembling, wishing Carol was in bed with her.

“Put your vibrator back on you, I want to hear you come for me again.”

Therese moans into the phone, reaching over to find her vibrator, doing as Carol says. She turns it back on, and puts it back on her clit, making sure Carol can hear it’s on, moaning into the phone. “It’s on, tell me what to do.”

“You’re so hot Therese, fuck. Push it into your clit baby, rub it all around it, let’s see how wet you can get for me.”

“Fuck, Carol, hmm.”

“Push it into you, as hard or as soft as you want, just keep it on your clit baby. Tell me it is.”

“It is, it’s right on there. I’m pushing it into me, thinking about your tongue.”

“Yea? You like when my tongue is on you?”

“I love it. You make me feel so good Carol, you know just how to please me, hitting all the right spots with your tongue.”

“If I was with you Therese, I’d be pulling your clit into my mouth, running my tongue all over it, making you throb in my mouth. You taste so good.”

“Fuck Carol, you’re driving me crazy.”

“I know baby… You sound so sexy right now, I’m touching myself too, and I’m so wet for you.”

Therese’s mind is spinning, she’s never had phone sex before, and always thought it was such a stupid thing that no one ever really did. But here she is, fully enjoying it and on the verge of another strong orgasm, just at the sound of Carol’s voice on the other end.

“You’re touching yourself? What are you doing Carol?”

“I’m thinking about your clit in my mouth, how much I love sucking on it, hearing you moan every time I pull it in and hold it, flicking my tongue over it. Just thinking about doing that to you makes me so wet, I’m fucking myself with two right now,” Carol moans into the phone, showing Therese how turned on she is.

Therese can’t handle the thought of Carol touching herself, “Carol, I want to see you fuck yourself, will you show me some time? Please?”

“Of course, darling. If you show me how you touch yourself…”

“I will,” Therese breathes into the phone, her orgasm close. She can’t take it anymore, and pushes her vibrator into her clit harder, grinding down on top of it, letting her moans take over without inhibition and without care. She can hear Carol on the other end, moaning into the phone with her, both women unable to speak. Therese cries out first, her mind set on blue eyes, crying Carol’s name. Carol follows quickly after, keeping her moans quiet and into the phone. “Fuck, Therese, I wish you were with me right now, I need you.”

“Me too, Carol. When can I see you?”

“Soon, darling.”

“I can’t wait…”

The two sit with each other in silence with each other on the phone, both comfortable in the silence, not feeling the need to speak. After a short while, Therese can hear Carol breathing slow and deep on the other end, _she must have fallen asleep. _Not wanting to hang up, Therese keeps her phone to ear, listening to Carol sleep, and quickly succumbs to her heavy eyelids. Listening to Carol sleep puts her into a comfortable deep sleep, full of dreams of blonde curls and perfect red lips.

When she wakes on Sunday, she slowly stirs before she remembers she fell asleep on the phone with Carol, reaching out to find her phone in the blankets beneath her. Pulling it to her face, one eye open, Therese see’s their call ended around four, unsure which line hung up first. She notices the current time, and can’t believe she slept in past eight. She sees a text on her phone, and smiles when she reads Carol’s message, “Morning Therese, I slept so well with you on the phone last night. Rindy woke me up at 4a and we’ve been awake since. I hope you have a wonderful day, talk soon. –xoxo.” Smiling, Therese types out a quick response to send back, “I slept so good, I was knocked out. Have the best time with Rindy today, can’t wait to hear from you later.” She decides to stay in bed longer, enjoying a lazy Sunday morning drifting in and out of sleep.

Therese wakes up after ten, deciding to get out of her apartment and go run errands, stocking her fridge for the week and taking her time to window shop. She loves New York in August, the summer winding down and fall around the corner. Therese finds herself seeing the city in a whole new light today, herself brisk and light, enjoying every shop she passes, and doesn’t seem bothered by a slow moving tourist in front of her. _This is weird, I’m not grumpy today. _She gets her fruit for the week from a local bodega, and even gets some flowers for her dining table. She stops by her favorite record store on her last stop before heading home, to browse and see if she finds anything good. She usually goes for classics and rare finds, but splurges today and gets a new record, Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die.” Therese decides she’ll make a quick stop back home to put things away, before she heads back out to catch a movie and grab some dinner, something she hasn’t done in ages. Just then her phone dings, she has a text message from Carol.

> C: Hi Therese
> 
> T: hey, how are you today?
> 
> C: I’m ok, it’s hard saying bye to Rindy, she cried a lot when her father came to get her. She likes her new room here.
> 
> T: Oh Carol, I’m so sorry, sounds really tough. Are you ok?
> 
> C: Yea I’m fine.
> 
> T: You don’t have to be strong with me Carol, let me in.

Therese can see Carol tends to hide her sadness, trying to keep it to herself. Therese doesn’t want her to build a wall around those emotions, she wants to be there for her. She wants to listen to her, be there for her. She hopes she isn’t crossing a line with her last message, Carol takes a few minutes to respond.

> C: Thank you, I try to keep all of this to myself. I don’t want to bring you into any drama Therese.
> 
> T: I want to be part of your drama Carol, I’ll bring you into mine.
> 
> C: Ok… thank you. In that case, I’m a wreck and am having a horrible day without Rindy here with me. But tell me about your day, I want to know what you did.
> 
> T: I’m sorry you had to say goodbye to her Carol. I slept in today, went grocery shopping and stopped by my favorite record shop on the way back.
> 
> C: Of course you have a record collection. Did you get anything today?
> 
> T: Haha why do you say “of course?” And I actually splurged on a new record and got Lana Del Rey’s Born to Die album.
> 
> C: Because you’re cool, of course you have a record collection. I love that album, good buy!
> 
> T: I am far from cool, but I’m glad you think I’m cool.
> 
> C: I do think you’re cool. What are you doing the rest of the night?
> 
> T: I was thinking of heading back out, maybe a movie, but now that I’m home I’ll probably stay in. What are you doing?
> 
> C: Nothing… I was going to ask if you wanted to come over to my place tonight. We could order in and spend the night together? We don’t even have to do anything, just be together.

Therese can sense Carol’s nervous rambling through the phone, even able to picture her nervous gesture of touching her ear or back of her neck.

> T: Have I told you how cute you are when you’re nervous? I’d love to come over, send me your address. 
> 
> C: I’m not nervous!
> 
> T: Sure you aren’t…
> 
> C: Fine, I’ll show you I’m not nervous. Pack an overnight bag Therese, unless you want to wear the same clothes to campus tomorrow.

Carol doesn’t give Therese a chance to respond, sending her a quick message with her address and a “see you soon.” Therese is excited about the turn of events in her day. She wants to see Carol, and not just to spend another night in bed with her, but just to see her place and get to know her better. She wants to be there for her, comfort her in her sadness, and give her an outlet to vent. She wants to show Carol she cares about her without sex. After mapping out her subway rides to get to Carol’s, her eyes widen in realization. _Carol lives on the Upper East Side? Holy shit I figured she had money, but damn! _

An hour later, Therese finds herself walking up to a beautiful apartment building on Madison Ave, just around the corner from The Met. Carol told her to let the doorman know she was there to see Carol in 645A, and they’d let her up to her unit. Therese meets the doorman, a young man with “Alex” on his name tag. He greets her with a warm smile, asking who she’s here to see. “Carol in 645A?” Alex smiles warmly, and let’s Therese into the elevator, pushing the 6th floor button for her, “Give Carol my regards, have a wonderful day Miss.” _So this is what it feels like to be bougie… _

Therese exits the elevator to a warm and modern hallway, walking around and down the hallway to a corner unit. She knocks on the door, waiting for Carol to answer. When she sees Carol open the door, her breath is taken away once again by the vision in front of her. Carol is wearing jeans, accentuating every curve of her body, and a sweater that’s loose yet hugs her curves in all the right places. Therese doesn’t hide her eyes as they roam over the woman’s body, ending on her red lips and loose curls framing her face. She’s in awe of the masterpiece in front of her, she barely notices that she must have shared her thoughts out loud, “You’re magnificent.”

“You’re so cute Therese, come inside,” Carol opens the door for Therese to come inside, taking her overnight bag from her to set down by the door. Therese steps inside a beautifully modern apartment, a corner unit with wraparound windows, a view of The Met and the surrounding park, wrapped around the city. It’s impeccably decorated, fancy furniture and art lining the walls. _Either these are really good replicas or some of these are originals. _The kitchen is off to the right, stunning white cabinets with white stone counter tops, and an island perfect for cooking and baking, every kitchen appliance and accessory you could wish for. 

“I thought you didn’t cook?” Therese turns to Carol, both women standing at the front of the kitchen, Carol is watching Therese take in the apartment.

“I mean I try, sometimes,” Carol laughs back at Therese.

“Carol, this kitchen is a dream!”

“You are welcome to come cook here whenever you want,” Carol winks at Therese, causing the butterflies in her stomach to return full force.

Carol leads Therese into the living room, an open space with a large marble dining table off to the side. It’s a beautiful space, gray walls lining the apartment, and a darker gray set of curtains framing each window along the wall. Crown molding frames the ceiling, adding an elegance to the space, confirming this space is perfectly Carol. Carol takes a seat on the couch, and let’s Therese continue to walk around and explore the area, observing the art on the walls, and the many bottles of bourbon on the bar. Finally, Therese turns around to see Carol seated, and walks over to sit on the couch with her. Carol grabs her hand and pulls her down to sit close to her, causing Therese to flash a full smile, dimples and all. Therese feels her thoughts fly away, and can’t find any words to fill the space, so she succumbs to her emotions and stares into Carol’s eyes. Carol reaches over and brushes her thumb over a dimple, cradling Therese’s cheek in her hand. Therese closes her eyes to the touch, and feels Carol move in, her breath tickling her lips.

“I really like your dimples,” Therese hears her whisper, feeling Carol’s lips lightly brush against her own in a short kiss. She feels her heart race while her stomach drops, surprised at her body’s reaction to such a short kiss from this woman. _I hope she feels this way too. _

“So tell me about your weekend, how many episodes of Drag Race did you watch with Danny?,” Carol pulls back, turning to body to face Therese on the couch, bringing her legs up underneath her, one knee bent so her elbow can rest upon it, holding her head up while she waits for Therese to answer.

“Only three! We spent most of our time talking and catching up about our summers. How was your time with Rindy? What flavor were the pancakes?”

Carol smiles at Rindy’s name, “Original, we tried flavors before and I just can’t seem to get it, I need to master plain first. They weren’t half bad actually, only slightly burned but at least we were able to share one this time. We had a wonderful weekend, it was so nice to have Rindy stay here with me for a full night. Her tears this morning killed me.”

Therese notices Carol is holding in tears, and places her hand on the woman’s knee. “Carol, you can cry, it’s ok. I’m here.”

Carol looks up at Therese, seeing the genuine statement in her eyes, and lets the tears fall. Therese pulls Carol into her, holding her tight, wrapping her arms around her. She lets her cry in her arms until she gets it all out. Carol clutching her arms, her face buried in her chest. When the crying subsides, she stays there, holding onto Therese, until her breathing returns to normal. “I’m sorry for crying.”

Therese pulls Carol up, bringing her face level with her own, “Carol, don’t you ever apologize for crying. I’m here for you. I can’t imagine how tough this must be to say goodbye to your daughter like this.” Carol doesn’t quite seem to know what to say, and keeps her eyes locked on the green ones staring back at her. Carol moves a piece of Therese’s hair behind her ear, and whispers again, seeming to be a whisper more to herself than anyone else.

“What a strange girl you are.”

“What?” Therese would be confused, if it wasn’t for the forlorn look in Carol’s eyes when she said it. She can see the want in her eyes, the curiosity, and the comfort in her company. Therese always wondered what it meant to speak with your eyes, and is happy she found the language with Carol. 

Carol whispers to the room, more to herself, a proclamation to the green eyes attached to her blue, “Flung out of space.”


	9. nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter, but i'm still here and don't worry, this story isn't going anywhere. next chapter won't be too far behind this one. enjoy!

The two spend time together, neither moving from the sofa, pausing conversation only to order food.

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen Drag Race! What kind of gay are you Carol?”

“A horrible one I guess. I don’t watch much tv. I’ve seen The L Word…”

“Every lesbian has seen The L Word, you’re not helping yourself. We have to watch Drag Race together, especially before you meet Danny.”

“I get to meet Danny?”

“If it was up to him, you two would have already met by now, so yes.”

“He sounds like fun. I think he would get along with Abby.”

“That’s what he said!”

“How does he know Abby?”

“Oh, um, he’s an art student, he’s taken one of her classes before.” Therese hopes this is true, she doesn’t want to disclose Danny overheard her talking to Abby in the café earlier in the week.

“What a small world.”

Therese loses focus in the conversation, Carol has started running her fingers through her hair, causing her eyes to flutter close at the sensation. Carol chuckles, “You like that?”

“Hmm, I do. A lot. Please don’t stop.”

Carol continues, pulling Therese into her to relax a bit more. The two fall into a comfortable silence, letting their bodies melt into each other, Therese finding herself tracing Carol’s legs. _Her fingertips feel like fire on my skin. Everything with her is perfect. _

They both jump when they hear someone knocking at the door, laughing realizing it’s their food order. Neither realizing how much time had passed during their comfortable silence in each other’s arms. Carol walks over to the door to collect their food order, thanking the delivery person. Therese gets up, “Can I grab anything from the kitchen?”

“Sure, grab us some drinks and silverware, I’ll get plates and set the table.”

Therese grabs two beers from the fridge, and opens a few drawers before she finds the silverware. _Every single drawer is immaculately organized. Jeez. _

The two sit across from each other at the dinner table, passing containers back and forth while they plate their food. “This looks wonderful, thanks Carol.”

“They’re no dumplings, but this is my favorite Greek restaurant up here. I hope you like it.” She’s flashing a wide, slightly nervous grin at Therese, causing Therese to get lost again in a sea of blue. Carol coughs, breaking eye contact to look down at her plate to start eating. Therese does the same, hoping Carol doesn’t notice the blush creeping up her face.

“Umm holy shit Carol, this food is amazing!”

“It is, isn’t it? I’m glad, I was nervous you wouldn’t.”

“Well, I’ll eat anything, but this is insanely good.”

The two finish their meal, both taking turns naming their favorite restaurants around the city. Therese tells Carol they need to start making a list so they can go to all these places together. The two clear the table, moving to the kitchen to finish their cleanup, Therese taking lead to load the dishwasher. “What time is your first class tomorrow, Therese?” Carol comes up behind Therese at the sink, wrapping her arms around her waist. Therese sighs, turning off the sink, leaning back into Carol. “Eight thirty, what about you?”

“Nine. We can go together, I can drive if you’d like?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Therese places her hands over Carol’s, threading her fingers through her hands. Therese feels Carol’s lips close to her ear, her breath tickling her skin, giving her goosebumps all over her body.

“Let’s go get comfortable, shall we?” Carol grabs Therese by the hand and leads her to the master bedroom, turning on the light to show Therese the space. It’s a beautifully modern bedroom with a large four post bed, a pallet of gray and blush softly decorating the room. More modern art lines the walls, with photos of Rindy sprinkled throughout the bedroom. Therese notices a large bathroom to the right, Carol leading her that way to get settled. Just inside the bathroom she sees another door at the back of the bathroom, presumably the walk-in closet.

“Carol you could shower ten children in here at the same time! This bathroom is heaven.”

“It’s too big for just me, but I do love this bathroom.” Carol smiles as she watches Therese wander around the bathroom, her eyes narrowing in on the bathtub. “Do you want to share a bath, Therese?”

Therese turns to look at Carol, a blush making its way from her neck to her cheeks, surprised at the forwardness Carol has presented to her. She finds her words have faltered, finding herself with a short nod to confirm her thoughts of enjoying a bath with Carol wrapped around her. With no other need for words, Carol moves silently through the space, turning on the water to fill the tub. Therese watches her as she pours salts in the water, setting towels on the ledge, and lowering the lights to set a dim glow in the room. Therese still hasn’t moved, unable to even ask if Carol needs help with anything. After a few minutes, Carol moves to stand in front of Therese, a foot away from her, her eyes watching the shorter woman in front of her. Therese can’t look away from the blue eyes scanning her body, the heat rising back into her face, her heart quickening. Carol reaches out, her hands lightly grabbing the hem of Therese’s shirt, slowly pulling it up and over her body. She slowly places it on the floor next to her feet, placing her hands on the young woman’s hips, tracing the hem of her jeans before she unbuttons them and pulls them from her legs. Therese steps out of her jeans, Carol adding them to the ever growing pile next to them. Carol steps back from Therese, and begins to slowly undress herself. When she’s standing in her underwear across from Therese, she slowly unclasps her bra, letting Therese watch every inch it slides from her shoulders, unveiling her full breasts. When she removes her bottoms, Therese can barely contain herself, her chest heaving with want as she sees Carol’s perfect body, her swollen clit visible to Therese. Carol bites her bottom lip, moving into Therese to take off her remaining clothing. Therese feels Carol wrap her arms around her back, her hands deftly working to take off her bra, her underwear sliding off quickly after.

Carol places her hand on Therese’s face, lightly pressing her lips to her mouth. “Come in with me Therese,” Carol whispers as she steps into the tub, holding her hand out for Therese to follow. The two women are standing face to face, closer than they were just moments ago, Therese craving the taste of Carol’s lips again. She can feel her want, her need, settling between her legs, and is hopeful she can conjure the patience to make this moment last. Therese steps into Carol, placing her hands on her hips, gliding her hands over her body, up her back, raking her hands through her hair, watching Carol close her eyes, her shoulders dropping with a satisfied sigh. Therese moves her hands back down Carol’s body, lightly grabbing her hips, forcing Carol to turn around. Therese lowers their bodies into the water, guiding Carol’s body in between her legs, pulling her back to rest along the front of herself. She tries to cover the hitch in her breath when she feels Carol’s back press against her breasts, her nipples already hard and waiting to be touched. Therese places her hands on Carol’s waist, gliding her hands over the taut and flat stomach, unable to decide which direction to move first.

Therese is happy to find Carol has aided in her decision, Carol covering Therese’s hands with her own. She moves their left hands up to her left breast, guiding Therese to squeeze and find her nipple pinched between two fingers. Carol guides their right hands down further into the water, helping Therese glide her finger over her clit, causing both women to moan into the silent bathroom. Carol keeps guiding Therese, showing her how to tease her, switching between light and hard pressure all over her clit, stopping just before her opening. Therese nudges Carol’s neck, placing her mouth on any skin she can find, sucking it into her mouth. Carol arches her back in to Therese, calling her name out into the room. Carol guides Therese’s finger down to her opening, pushing both of their fingers into herself together. Therese moans at the sensation, the feeling of Carol’s wetness and feeling her inside of the woman with her too much to bear. Carol sets a slow pace, showing Therese the angles she likes, the speed, and the depth. Both women are breathing heavily, unable to make any coherent sounds. Therese moves her left hand down from the woman’s breast, finding her clit again, applying pressure to it and rubbing it at a pace to match their fingers, now pressed deep inside of Carol. “Oh, Therese! Please!” Therese continues to pleasure Carol, taking the lead when she feels Carol open her legs wider and her finger relax, sensing she must be close. Therese keeps the pace slow, but curls her finger more into Carol, finding the spot she was waiting to touch. She rubs her finger over it several times, before pulling out and pushing back in again, finding it at each thrust inside. Carol is writhing under her, her head thrown back, her back arched, her left hand wrapped in Therese’s hair. Therese moves her left hand over Carol’s clit faster, rubbing it and flicking it, following and chasing Carol’s screams and moans. Carol climaxes quickly, shuddering and quivering against Therese.

Therese continues to slowly bring Carol down, lightly kissing her while her hands work over Carol, riding the aftershocks with her. “Therese, you’re incredible. You feel so good.” Carol turns to kiss Therese, finding her mouth easily and ready. “I know we just got in here, but I need to take you to bed.” Carol doesn’t give Therese time, pulling her up and out of the water, throwing a towel at her to dry off. Therese giggles at Carol, following her out of the tub and into the bedroom. “I thought we were just going to sleep tonight and go to class early tomorrow?”

“Therese, you’re much too beautiful and sexy for me to not completely ravish all night. Come here.”


	10. ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry, life has been so busy, i promise i won't abandon this story, it will finish, even if it's slow. your comments motivated me to come back tonight. this is short, but the spark hit.

_Waking up to Carol is a vision. Her skin is perfect under my hands, soft, unreal. I can’t believe the first thing I saw this morning was something so perfect, an arm wrapped around me so gently and yet so protective. Her warm body wrapped around me, the feeling of her breasts pressed against me. Never forget this, never forget this moment. I hope I didn’t wake her with my gentle squeeze around her hand. I hope she didn’t hear my heart quicken, I wanted her to rest for as long as possible before we had to leave our nest and start the day. I want to stay with her for as long as she’ll have me. Fuck what is this? What’s happening to me? _

“Your first exam is next week, I suggest you attend a study session and prepare well for this. Our first exam of this semester will be an indicator of those who are serious about their studies, and those who are not.”

Therese is brought to her present surroundings by her professor’s strong voice. _Fuck, I need to pay attention. This is week two. _

Her first class on Monday morning is winding down, and all she can think about is her next Photography class just so she can see Carol again. She’s never experienced such a lovely morning before, let alone a Monday before class. She woke next to Carol, savoring every second before the alarm sounded, signaling the start to the day, and responsibilities to bear. The morning flashes before her eyes every minute she’s in lecture, the vision of Carol in the shower with her, the sleep erasing from her eyes, the water cascading down her heavenly frame. She can taste the coffee on her lips, the coffee she made for her and Carol, the breakfast they quickly shared before heading out the door to reach campus in time for class. She can still feel Carol’s hand wrapped around her own as they drove to campus, sitting in traffic, enjoying each other’s company and pointing out the morning foot traffic. She can still feel Carol’s lips pressed against hers as they parted ways for class, Carol taking time to walk to her lecture, squeezing her hand before she turned to walk back to the legal side of campus for class. The morning lecture moving at an agonizing pace before it was time to head towards the arts building for photography. Carol told her she’d wait for her outside the building.

As the time neared, Therese walked to the other side of campus as fast as she could, ignoring all messages from Danny to stop at the usual spot for her drink and breakfast bar. Nearing the arts building, Therese spots Carol from a block away, sitting on a bench, looking at her phone. The sun reflecting her blonde hair, illuminating her cheekbones and red lips. _I wish I had my camera with me. _Recognizing the syllabus was still focusing on digital work, Therese chose to leave her old camera at home, fully regretting it in this moment.

Their magnetic pull never ignored, Carol looks up just in time to see Therese cross the street, her eyes never leaving the wide green ones pouring into her, a wide smile gracing her face. Therese can feel her face move of its own accord, a smile forming to match the one greeting her. Carol stands when Therese nears, stepping in to reach for her hand, pulling her close. “I’ve missed you this morning, I couldn’t focus in my first lecture. How was yours?” Carol asks Therese, kissing her before she can respond, a quick chaste kiss full on her mouth. “I couldn’t think of anything but you,” Therese smiles into Carol, before kissing her again, slower, pressing her full lips into the older woman. “If we couldn’t concentrate on our own, we’re probably doomed in this class together today,” Carol says into her ear. Before she can respond, Carol turns them towards the building, and pulls Therese in behind her, making sure they have time to find their usual seats together before the class fills. Therese clings to Carol, noticing neither wanted to let go of each other’s hand, their fingers interlocked and seated just perfectly.

As the two enter the classroom, Therese notices Professor Gerhard’s eyes widen at the sight of Carol and Therese’s intertwined hands, trying her hardest to conceal her smile, passing a wink at Carol before returning to her notes at hand. Therese doesn’t remember class starting, or a word Abby said at the beginning. All she can think of is the woman next to her. Taking note of her stomach fluttering and her heart beating in her chest. All she can focus on is the scent of Carol next to her, the elegant perfume mixing with her natural scent, an elixir she’ll never tire of assaulting her senses.

Her phone buzzing, Therese looks down to see a message from Carol, “When we break for our photo session, can I take you to the bathroom first? I miss your lips.” _This woman is going to be the death of me. _“Yes. Please,” is all she can return. In what feels like forever, Abby finally signals the break in class, directing the students to venture out to snap shots of campus. Her legs carry her of their own accord, following Carol to the nearest restroom. Her vision blurs as blonde hair guides her to the last stall, locking it behind her as she feels fingers move through the back of her head into her hair. Her stomach doing another flutter as she feels lips wrap around her own, a tongue pushing into her willing and open mouth, Carol’s warm body pressed into her.

“I need to feel you,” she hears Carol whisper into her ear before feeling her mouth back on her own, a hand moving to front of her jeans, quickly undoing them, feeling her hand move into her underwear, wasting no time in feeling her wetness. Both women trying their hardest to keep quiet in case another occupant enters the small bathroom, Therese keeps her mouth busy with Carol’s stifling her moans. Therese opens her legs as much as she can in the restricted position, Carol’s hand forced to stay flush against her. Therese can feel Carol’s finger moving deftly inside of her, a pleasure so intense she loses track of what her mouth is doing, her tongue stopping the assault on Carol’s. Therese feels Carol taking over, pulling her lower lip into her own, sucking on it and teasing it with her tongue, roaming every centimeter, gently biting on it before pushing it back over her tongue. Therese is close, she can feel it, but she wants more. Pulling Carol even closer into her, Therese pushes her hand into Carol’s jeans, quickly before any protest can arise, pushing in as deep as she can into Carol. She senses Carol’s surprise, a brief pause in her movements, before picking back up, both matching each other’s movements. Their kisses become sloppy, both doing what they can to keep their moans muffled while they suck on the other’s lips, pulling their tongue into each other, their fingers buried deep into one another, their palms pressed into each clit. This was all she needed to send her over the edge, the feeling of Carol wrapped around her finger, pulsating her climax as they each reach their orgasm together. Neither move, allowing the full climax to arrive, take over, and subside.

“You’re so fucking sexy, Therese. Stay with me tonight, please.”

“I had no other plans Carol.”

The two pull apart from each other, each fastening their jeans and adjusting their tops. Carol pulls Therese into another kiss before opening the stall, guiding her out back into the world. “We should probably go take our photo’s to uphold our reputation before Abby fails us.” Carol laughs, pulling Therese into a pleasurable laughter along with her, not a care in the world, knowing she’ll take the best pictures today with Carol by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i didn't proofread, i just wanted to post as is, so forgive me if it's a mess.


	11. eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a surprising guest joins carol and therese...

Therese has tried to establish a healthy routine for herself for as long as she can remember. Drink water, go to the gym, read a book that isn’t an assignment, finish a tv show, go to bed on time. The only thing she’s ever been able to accomplish, much to her chagrin, is waking up before her alarm goes off. Until now… Five weeks have passed, and she’s fallen into the most comfortable routine she never expected. She’s woken up next to Carol almost every morning, only spending one to two nights apart on the off chance Carol gets to keep Rindy for the weekend. Otherwise, every night is spent in bed, wrapped around Carol. Therese has settled into Carol, learning and memorizing all of her habits, preferences, and commits to learning more each day.

The two have fallen into a schedule, allowing time to focus on their studies, spending time each evening to study and work until they give in to their lust and desire. Neither have spoken about their silent routine, or their steady rotation of which apartment they stay at for nights on end, a sort of mutual agreement to go with the flow. When Therese thinks Carol must be sick of her and they should spend a night apart, Carol makes sure the invitation for her to come over is clear. Therese does the same, not just to reciprocate, but to make her wants and needs clear to the older woman. In fact, last night Therese made the mental note neither had to say a word, it was just part of the routine Therese would follow Carol home that night, set to spend the entire weekend with her at her place.

When they both wake Saturday morning, they silently agreed to stay in bed as long as they can, wrapped around one another. They made sure they finished all of their work so they could enjoy the weekend off together, without any assignments or pressing study sessions. “We have to keep our promise to actually leave the apartment this weekend though,” Carol quips as she continues to caress Therese’s bare back.

“That’s what we say _every _weekend, and we have yet to succeed.”

“Well this weekend we have to, otherwise Abby will hate us if we blow her off at the farmer’s market again.”

“Fine, but that’s tomorrow. We still have today.”

Therese snuggles into Carol further, placing light kisses on the skin she finds beneath her lips, stirring a gentle hum from her lover. Both women start when they hear a knock at the door, “Who the fuck is here?” Carol whispers, full of shock and a slight fear in her voice, “Alex would never let anyone up here without my approval. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Carol flies out of bed, fastening a robe around her as she runs out of the room to answer the door. Therese stays in bed, the room shrouded in darkness, concealing her presence. She can hear Carol arrive at the door, unlocking it to open.

“Mommy!”

“Snowflake, what on Earth are you doing here?” A slight bite at the end of her question, clearly not directed at what must be Rindy at the door. Therese starts, sitting up in bed, they hadn’t discussed when she would meet Rindy, thinking that day was to come much later.

Therese hears a deep voice at the door, “Carol, an emergency came up at work, I need to fly to California immediately. My parents are in Florida, they can’t take her. Can you keep her for the week?”

“Harge, of course I’ll keep her.”

“I can trust you, Carol?”

“Harge, the face that you would question that in front of our daughter… Yes, of course, go on your trip, she has everything she needs here.”

“Can I come see her room?”

“I don’t think it’s wise for you to come inside, Harge. Is there anything else you need?”

“Fine. I’ll be back next Sunday, I’ll come get her straight from the airport. I’ll FaceTime her every night before bed if I’m out of meetings in time.”

With that, she can hear Harge leave and the door close.

“Mommy! We get the whole week together! Can I have some pancakes please?”

Therese chuckles, Rindy doesn’t seem to mind her father is leaving for the week, and is more than happy to spend time with her mom.

“Sure, snowflake. But first, Mommy needs to talk to you about something. Mommy has a very special person here with her, and I want you to meet her.”

Therese gulps, she hadn’t yet realized she would be meeting Rindy at this very moment. She reaches down to the floor quickly to grab a shirt to throw over herself, propping the pillows up to sit in bed. There’s no time to find the bottoms, as the light flickers on and Therese is met with Carol standing at the door, holding the hand of the miniature version of herself. A four year old Carol is staring up at Therese, a curious smile on her face. “Rindy, this is Therese, can you say hi?”

“Hi Therese,” Rindy quietly says, trying to hid her face behind her mom’s hand.

“Hi Rindy, it’s so nice to meet you. Your mom talks about you all the time. I heard you wanted some pancakes?”

“Yes,” Rindy quietly answers.

“Well that’s great! I am the best blueberry pancake chef in the whole city. I bet I can definitely make better pancakes than your mom, how does that sound?”

“Hey!” Carol retorts, the same moment Rindy shouts a resounding yes to the offer.

“It’s a date then, why don’t I make pancakes while you and your mom go play for a bit?”

Carol mouths a _thank you _to Therese as she gets dragged out of the room by Rindy. Therese climbs out of bed, quickly finding clothes and running to the bathroom to clean up before making her way to the kitchen. A little into her pancake prep, she hears Rindy run out of her room, “Therese, can I help you make pancakes?”

“Of course! I could use the help.” Therese bends down to Rindy’s height, “I need help mixing the batter, you ready to help? Are your hands clean?” When Rindy shakes her head, she leads the child over to sink and helps her up onto the stool to wash her hands. Therese can feel Carol’s eyes on her, she always can. Looking over her shoulder, Therese tells Carol, “Go clean up, we got this.” Carol smiles, walking over to kiss Rindy on the head, “I’ll be right back Snowflake, I need to use the bathroom and change.” Before walking away, Carol leans over to kiss Therese full on the lips, “Thank you, Therese, for all of this.” Before Therese can even think of a response, Carol is on her way to the room to change.

Rindy, without missing a beat, “Oh, so that’s what my mommy meant by a special friend.” Nervous and uncertain, Therese just smiles and nods, “Right! So, blueberry pancakes huh?”

The pancake session goes well, Therese and Rindy finding each other’s company to be fun, funny, and easy. They make a large batch of pancakes, setting the table for the three. Carol spends the time watching the two, staying quiet in the background, waiting to be served. As the two women let Rindy serve as judge in the first bite, they finally share a moment to look at each other, both saying so much in such a quick glance. Their shared look is broken by a yell, “THESE ARE THE BEST PANCAKES EVER! THANK YOU THERESE!”

Both erupting in laughter, Carol feigns hurt, “Jeez, don’t be too excited Rindy,” as she takes a bite for herself. “Ok, wow, these are amazing.” Therese looks on in silence as she watches the two scarf down their entire serving and reach for seconds at the same exact time.

_This seems so perfect and easy. I could spend every Saturday like this with Carol and Rindy. I’m going to need more pancake recipes… _


	12. twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope everyone is safe and healthy! more content to come soon, i guess one perk of having to stay home...

Therese finds herself pinned in the bathroom, Carol’s lips moving all over her neck, moving towards her ear. “Baby, thank you for this morning, you were so good with her. I’m sorry this got sprung on us,” Carol continues to kiss Therese, the younger woman struggling to stifle her moans.

The two spent the morning playing with Rindy after pancakes, entertaining her through to nap time. Immediately following Rindy’s sleep, Carol dragged Therese to the bathroom to assault her mouth and neck. “Carol, please don’t apologize.” For the first time, Therese stops Carol from kissing her, forcing her to maintain eye contact while she speaks. “Carol, I’m so happy I got to meet Rindy. I know this isn’t what you had planned, but it’s great. Just tell me when you want me to leave so I can give you two time together.”

“Therese, I don’t want you to leave. Do you want to leave? You don’t have to stay, I don’t want to burden you with us at all.”

“Carol, please don’t use those words to describe you and Rindy. I told you, I’m all in, and I’m so happy to be here. Besides, that girl can never have your pancakes again, poor thing.” Chuckling, Therese pulls Carol in for a lingering kiss, slow and unrushed.

“Thank you Therese, thank you so much. I will say though, I had a lot of plans for you in bed today, so now we’ll just have to be quiet and stay up late so I can have you in all the ways I want you.”

Therese feels her legs weaken, remembering she was pushed up against the sink. Carol’s hands move over her body, caressing her stomach over her shirt. She feels the woman’s lips back on her neck, just below her ear, her tongue darting out to taste the skin she finds. “You have to be quiet,” Carol whispers before she continues to kiss Therese. She takes off the younger woman’s shirt, reaching around to quickly remove her bra. Carol moves down to push off Therese’s loose pajama bottoms and underwear. She moves her hands to the back of Therese’s legs, lifting her up to sit her on the bathroom sink. Standing between her legs, Carol moves in to pull Therese close to her, taking her mouth with her own. Therese leaves her mouth open and ready for Carol’s tongue, greeting her with smooth, yet rushed movements over each other. Therese loves it when Carol pulls her bottom lip into her mouth, gently biting it in a sensual motion that gets Therese every time.

Therese can’t help but let out a moan, Carol moving back to give her a stern look, “Baby, I said you have to keep quiet. If you don’t I’ll have to stop.” Therese knows she won’t be able to stop any more than she can, she can see it in the darkness of her pupils, Carol is too far gone, lust having taken over completely. Therese just nods in response, tugging on Carol’s shirt to pull her back into her. She feels Carol’s hands snake around her waist, down to her lower back, pulling her even closer to the older woman, nearing the edge of the sink. Therese is curious to see how Carol will take her like this, a new spot in the apartment they haven’t yet tried.

“I’ve been dreaming about having you like this, Therese, I think about it every morning I watch you get ready in this mirror.” _Is she a fucking mind reader? _Therese asks herself as her eyes widen, watching Carol drop down into a squat, her face level with her open legs. “Therese, don’t forget to stay quiet, I’m going to be quick.” Before she can nod her head, Therese feels Carol’s lips fully envelop her clit, pulling it into her mouth in a swift pull, her tongue moving over it in long, languid strokes. Carol continues the movements, sucking on Therese’s clit in fluid movements, expertly moving her tongue through her folds to return to her clit, focusing on the steady movements. Therese tries not to scream out to the bathroom, biting her lip, moving her hands into Carol’s hair, tugging and pulling on it, signaling to Carol just how good it feels to have her mouth on her.

Carol continues her movements, increasing the speed of her tongue, following the rate of Therese’s breathing. “Baby, move your ass to the edge for me,” Therese hears Carol’s deep voice whisper out to her, dripping in seduction and sex. Therese follows, moving to the edge, giving Carol more access to her center. Carol resumes her movements, pulling Therese’s clit into her mouth, as deep as she can, holding it in place. Therese is suspended in the feeling, doing her best not to cry out in pleasure. Just when she thinks she can’t hold it much longer, Carol plunges two fingers into her, quickly and easily, pushing in deep, holding them in place while she keeps pulling her clit in deeper and deeper into her warm mouth, sucking on it harder. Therese pulls Carol into her, hearing a low moan from the woman, as she immediately starts flicking her tongue over her clit. Therese instantly falls over the edge, feeling her walls contract around Carol’s fingers, her clit throbbing in the woman’s mouth. It’s an intense orgasm, and Therese doesn’t want Carol to move. “Please, just stay like this for a moment.” Therese is trying to control her breathing while she focuses on the feeling of Carol’s fingers buried inside of her, her clit completely covered by the most beautiful and sexy lips she’s ever seen, all while Carol’s muscular back and strong legs are supporting her weight as she grasps onto her thighs, keeping them both steady and grounded in their position.

Therese let’s her hands loosen in the blonde curls, pulling Carol back up to her, to kiss her and thank her for loving her the way she just did. “Carol, baby, that was fucking amazing,” Therese whispers into her mouth after kissing her, pushing her tongue into her mouth to taste herself. “You’re so hot Therese, l can’t get enough of you.” Therese almost forgot Carol’s fingers are still inside of her, until that moment, when Carol starts to thrust in and out of her, before assaulting her lips in another passionate kiss. Therese resists the urge to scream, feeling Carol pump in and out of her, a steady pace. Hard thrusts, pushing into her harder each time. Therese moves her mouth to Carol’s ear, “Fuck Carol, you feel so good fucking me like that, please don’t stop.”

“Oh baby, please keep talking to me, I haven’t heard you like this before.” Carol urges Therese to continue, increasing the pace of her thrusts just a bit, as a reward. “Carol, I can feel every inch of you inside of me, you’re so deep, you feel so good.” Therese tries to put coherent sentences together for Carol, but all she can muster are muffled moans into the woman’s ear as she digs her nails into Carol’s back for support. Carol is trying not to moan herself, both women lost in the sounds of their sex, hearing how wet Therese is over Carol’s fingers, dripping all over her hand. “Oh Carol, I’m so close again,” Therese mumbles in her ear, Carol dropping down into a squat again, instantly finding the younger woman’s clit, sucking on it hard and relentless, forcing her over the edge in an even stronger orgasm than before. Therese bites her tongue, trying not to scream, feeling herself drip over Carol’s mouth, coating her fingers with each wave of her orgasm. As Carol moves back up to kiss Therese again, Therese greets her with a smile through their kiss. “Ok, now that was amazing, what else do you have planned for the weekend?”

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

The two women find themselves immersed in a weekend with Rindy, the rest of their Saturday spent entertaining the young child, thoroughly enjoying their time together. By the time they get her off to bed, the two are completely spent, and find themselves crashed in bed, hardly uttering a “goodnight” to each other. Around four in the morning, Therese finds herself startled awake, with an eerie feeling of being watched. As her eyes adjust, she sees little ones peering back at her, “Rindy, everything ok?”

“I’m scared, can I sleep with you and Mommy?”

“Of course, sweetheart, come on in.” Therese helps lift her into the bed, placing her in the middle of the two. Carol is fast asleep, and doesn’t seem to stir awake, even with the extra movement in bed. When Rindy realizes Carol won’t wake up, she turns her body back towards Therese, her big eyes searching in the dark to find a pair of green eyes watching her. “I had a bad dream,” Rindy whispers. Therese reaches over to rub her arm, “It’s ok Rindy, you’re safe here, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. You can go back to sleep.” Therese is surprised when Rindy moves closer to her, wrapping an arm around her neck, snuggling in close. Therese’s heart melts, and she rubs the girls back until she’s sound asleep.

A few hours later, Therese is stirred awake again, but this time by a gentle hand caressing her cheek. She slowly opens her eyes, finding Carol’s warm eyes watching her with a smile on her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, you two look so cute together.” Rindy is still curled into Therese, small snores coming from the tiny body. “She came in around four,” Therese whispers over to Carol. Carol moves in to the pair, wrapping her arm over Rindy, her hand resting on Therese’s hip. “She likes you.” It sounds more like an affirmation for herself, Therese can hear it in her voice, as if she’d been weary of ever finding someone Rindy would approve of. “I like her too,” Therese smiles back at Carol, doing her best to reassure her she’s exactly where she wants to be. Carol leans into Therese, giving her a soft kiss, pulling back just enough for her eyes to hold onto the green ones looking back at her. “I love you, Therese.”

The whole world seems to pause for a few moments, Therese feels her heart beating wildly in her chest. She’d been waiting for this moment for weeks. She knew she fell in love with Carol quite some time ago, thinking back to the first day she met her, her blue eyes peering at her over the red rose. How her heart jumped the first time they kissed, and the way her stomach felt like it was falling through the sky when Carol would wrap her arms around her waist in an embrace. Just the smallest smile her way would have her soaring to the moon. “Oh Carol, I love you too.”


End file.
